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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: March 31, 2025
2025-04-01
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22.33 On March 31, President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer the upcoming meeting on the deployment of military contingents in Ukraine after the war. The head of state announced this in his evening address.

The parties coordinated the next steps and discussed preparations for a meeting of representatives of the general staffs of countries ready to provide their contingent at the end of this week in Ukraine.

20:49 Over the past week, from March 24 to 31, the Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed 408 artillery systems of the Russian occupiers. This was reported by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky.

According to him, such losses were inflicted thanks to effective counter-battery warfare, drone attacks and the coordinated work of all units.

In total, since the beginning of 2025, Ukrainian soldiers have already destroyed 4,005 artillery systems of the Russian army.

18.13 Russia should not escape fair responsibility for what it has done in Ukraine. The number of recorded war crimes by Russians has exceeded 183 thousand. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky during his speech at the Bucha summit.

17.34 Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has ordered the conscription of 160,000 Russians into military service in April-July 2025. This is the largest conscription in Russia in 14 years.

16.59 In Odessa Oblast, a law enforcement officer was exposed who, for $25,000, organized illegal travel abroad for draft dodgers. This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation press service.

16.36 A Kharkiv resident was sentenced to 15 years in prison for treason. She provided Russians with information about the locations of Ukrainian troops, which the enemy used for targeted attacks. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.

16.31 Since the beginning of the current day, 109 combat clashes have occurred on the front. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported details of the battles in the operational summary as of 16:00.

16.13 Moscow does not believe that US President Donald Trump is "furious" over Russian leader Vladimir Putin's statements regarding Ukraine and its President Volodymyr Zelensky. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Interfax reported.

15.58 The Ministry of Defense has codified and approved for use in the Ukrainian Armed Forces the domestically produced AGL-53 automatic grenade launcher of 40 mm caliber. This was announced by the Main Directorate for Support of the Life Cycle of Weapons and Military Equipment, the Ministry of Defense reports.

15:23 Sweden announced the transfer of the 19th package of military aid to Ukraine. It is a record-breaking one in terms of volume - almost $1.6 billion. This was reported by Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson.

14.59 Operators of the 413th Battalion of the SSS Raid discovered and carried out a precise strike on the heavy flamethrower multiple launch rocket system TOS-1A Sontsepek. The Russians tried to hide this system in a landing 25 km from the front line. The command of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on its Facebook page.

14.50 Evidence has been collected on two more Russian generals who commanded the air strike on Chernigov on August 19, 2023. The SBU reported this on March 31.

14.41 The Netherlands will finance a large-scale project to develop drones for Ukraine. 500 million euros will be allocated for these purposes, the Dutch Ministry of Defense reported .

14.08 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky summed up the battles on the front in March. According to him, the main tasks for the Ukrainian army remain holding the defensive lines and stabilizing the situation in the threatening directions of the front. This month, successes were achieved in the Pokrovsk direction.

14:05 On the morning of March 31, Russian troops launched a drone strike on the Dniprovskyi district of Kherson. Three people who were near a store were hit by the enemy strike. This was reported by the Kherson OVA.

13:50 Last week, 1,523 citizens applied to the recruitment centers of the Ukrainian army. This is the second best weekly figure since the beginning of the year. The largest number of applications in one week was in February - 1,808. A total of 4,942 consultations were provided in March. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

13:36 Operators of the 6th Regiment of the Special Operations Forces captured Russian soldiers in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. This was reported by the Command of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which published a video .

13:18 Russian troops shelled Kupyansk with a Uragan multiple launch rocket system. This was reported by the head of the Kharkiv OVA Oleg Sinegubov. According to preliminary data, two people were injured to varying degrees of severity: a 63-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman.

12.59 The Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters has decided that Ukraine needs a body responsible for the development of innovations, technologies and robotics. It is proposed to grant the corresponding status to the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media. This is evidenced by the government's draft law No. 13141.

12:28 US President Donald Trump's personal spiritual adviser Mark Burns has arrived in Ukraine on a visit. Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Azman reported this on his Facebook page.

12.20 The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council published data on 11 Russian propagandists on the War&Sanctions portal, including Vitaly Averyanov and Yuriy Kotenok. This was reported by the press service of the Main Intelligence Directorate.

11:21 The Zhytomyr Regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support (TRC SP) denied information about the beating of Mykhailo Matviychuk, who was wanted and was taken to undergo a medical examination. The department reported this on Facebook .

Earlier, a video was distributed on social networks in which Matviychuk stated that he had severe abdominal pain in the TRC building due to a chronic ulcer, but was allegedly not allowed to go to the ambulance.

10:58 On Monday night, Kharkiv was subjected to a massive attack by Russian drones. The city suffered extensive destruction. Mayor Igor Terekhov and the State Emergency Service reported the details .

10:20 An agent group of the Russian military intelligence (better known as the GRU) has been neutralized in Kiev. As a result of complex measures, three enemy henchmen have been detained, one of whom is a citizen of the Russian Federation. This was reported by the SBU.

9:52 The Ukrainian Defense Forces shot down 57 Russian drones, and another 45 enemy UAVs were lost. This was reported by the Ukrainian Air Force. The aftermath of the Russian attack was noted in the Sumy, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Zhitomir regions.

9:20 The ATESH partisan movement reported that their agent conducted reconnaissance of the bay in Vladivostok, where large anti-submarine ships and anti-sabotage boats of the Russian Pacific Fleet were recorded. It is noted that at present, the warships are not preparing to be redeployed or perform any serious tasks. The servicemen themselves are worried about the possible mass dispatch of marines to war in Ukraine, but this information does not go beyond rumors.

8:57 On Monday, March 31, Russian troops shelled the Zaporizhia region, there is damage. This was reported by the head of the Zaporizhia OVA Ivan Fedorov. It is noted that as a result of the attack, a high-voltage power line and at least ten houses in dacha cooperatives were damaged. Due to the shelling, part of the village of Kushugum was left without power supply. Currently, emergency teams are working to eliminate the consequences.

8:46 Over the past 24 hours, 171 combat clashes were recorded at the front. Over the past 24 hours, aviation, missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces hit 14 areas of concentration of personnel and equipment, as well as one command post of the Russian invaders. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

7:46 Over the past 24 hours, the Defense Forces neutralized another 1,230 Russian invaders and more than 170 units of weapons and military equipment of the Russian Federation. The total combat losses of the Russians from 24.02.22 to 31.03.25 amounted to approximately 915,230 people. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

7:23 Two Russian Kalibr carriers remain on combat duty in the Black Sea with a total salvo of up to eight missiles. This was reported by the Ukrainian Navy.

06:00 Six explosions were reported in Kharkiv overnight. All of the strikes occurred in the Kyivskyi district. There was a significant fire at the site of the strikes.

04:57 At least two enemy UAV hits occurred in Kharkiv on the night of Monday, March 31. Around 2 a.m., a civilian enterprise in the Kyivskyi district was hit. The glazing of windows in nearby apartment buildings was damaged. A kindergarten building and a cultural and sports complex were also damaged. At 4:49, another Shahed attacked the city.

01:51 Russian troops advanced in Razliv, near Panteleimonivka and Novoye in the Donetsk region, the DeepState analytical project reported.

Link


Europe
Sweden accused Russia of violating the kingdom's airspace with Su-24
2024-06-16
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Swedish Armed Forces said that a Russian Su-24 aircraft allegedly violated the country's airspace on June 14, the Expressen newspaper reported.

According to Air Force Commander Jonas Wikman, the bomber was allegedly discovered east of the island of Gotland. The plane was accused of deviating from the route and, having received no response, two JAS fighters were scrambled to intercept.

“We observed his movement; the violation was quite short-lived, less than two minutes,” the newspaper quoted the military commander as saying.

The country's Defense Minister Paul Johnson noted that he had already been informed about the “violation” of Swedish airspace. The Foreign Ministry said it would call a representative of the Russian embassy to clarify the situation.

As Regnum reported, on June 14, the Finnish border service stated that four Russian military aircraft allegedly violated the country’s airspace on June 10. It was noted that these were two bombers and two fighters, which allegedly proceeded into Finnish airspace at a distance of two and a half kilometers.

On June 10, Russian Tu-95MS missile carriers and Tu-22M3 bombers made a planned flight over the neutral waters of the Baltic, Barents and Norwegian seas. They were accompanied by Su-30SM, Su-27, Su-33 fighters. According to the Ministry of Defense, at certain stages of the route they were accompanied by fighters from foreign countries. Long-range aviation pilots perform all flights in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace, the department emphasized.

On the evening of June 10, the Finnish Foreign Ministry sent a request to the Russian embassy in Helsinki, stating that the Russian plane allegedly violated Finnish airspace and demanded clarification. The Finnish Foreign Ministry claimed that the plane was allegedly in the airspace of the republic for about two minutes.

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: May 28, 2024
2024-05-29
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:02 The Telegraph writes, citing sources, that Zelensky was asked not to appeal to NATO member states this year to accept Ukraine into the Alliance. According to the publication, Germany and the United States openly warned against offering specific deadlines to Kyiv in preparation for a two-day meeting in Washington dedicated to the organization’s 75th anniversary. The Telegraph's source said that "they are very skeptical about Ukraine's further progress towards full NATO membership this year." The decision is expected to upset Zelensky, who has been warned by colleagues not to demand the “impossible” from the alliance.

21:55 The Russians dropped three air bombs on the center of Toretsk, Donetsk region - two people were killed, three were injured, the regional prosecutor's office reported. As a result of a direct hit, the entrances to two multi-storey buildings and the building of an enterprise were destroyed. Law enforcement officials are still establishing the exact number of dead and injured.

21:51 Macron announced Zelensky’s participation in events marking the 80th anniversary of the landing of allied forces in Normandy on June 6.

21:49 This afternoon the Russians attacked the port infrastructure of Odessa, the regional prosecutor’s office reported.

21:46 Ukraine has agreed with Spain to strengthen air defense, Zelensky said at a press conference in Lisbon: “As for Spain, for example, we actually had relevant agreements, and there will be additional air defense for specific systems and specifically missiles. I just don’t I want to talk about some details now, before these systems arrive."

21:42 Macron, at a joint briefing with Scholz, spoke in favor of allowing Kiev to carry out strikes on military targets on the territory of the Russian Federation, from which attacks are launched on Ukraine. The French president also believes that supplies to Ukraine of long-range weapons capable of hitting Russian military targets are not an escalation of the conflict. At the same time, Macron refused to comment on reports about French military instructors in Ukraine, promising to discuss this with the authorities in Kyiv next week.

21:28 Ukraine will receive “tens of thousands” of 155 mm caliber shells in June as part of the Czech initiative, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said before the start of the meeting of EU leaders. He clarified that the first batch of shells will arrive in Ukraine “in the coming days.”

21:15 The United States remains against Ukraine’s use of American weapons to strike Russian territory, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

21:09 On Wednesday, May 29, power outages are not forecast, Ukrenergo reported.

20:57 Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk said that Zelensky will remain the President of Ukraine until the end of martial law. In this way, he commented on Putin’s statement about the alleged illegitimacy of Zelensky: “It is very good that people in Russia have begun to read the Constitution of Ukraine. I would recommend that inquisitive readers master the text of our Constitution not selectively and pay attention to part 1 of Article 108... The President of Ukraine is and until completion Vladimir Zelensky will remain under martial law. And all this is in accordance with the Constitution and laws of Ukraine.”

20:40 Ukraine and Portugal signed a security agreement. It provides for the allocation of 126 million euros to Kyiv this year. The document, in particular, confirmed Portugal's participation in the F-16 coalition, an international coalition in the field of maritime security, as well as in the program for the purchase of large-caliber ammunition, mine clearance efforts and strengthening maritime security. Portugal became the 12th country with which Ukraine entered into such an agreement.

19:18 More than 1.6 billion euros have already been collected for the Czech initiative to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine, Shmyhal said during his visit to Prague.

19:12 The first F-16 maintenance specialists began returning to Ukraine after training. And the first group of Ukrainian pilots completed training on the F-16 at a military base in Arizona. The completion of the training is a key step towards getting modern American-made fighter jets into Ukrainian skies. About when to expect them, read the material F-16 for Ukraine .

19:06 The PACE Culture Committee recognized the erasure of Ukrainian cultural identity as an instrument of Russia’s war against Ukraine and an element of the policy of genocide aimed at destroying the Ukrainian nation, said member of the Ukrainian delegation Evgenia Kravchuk.

19:00 Zelensky arrived in Portugal, where he plans to sign a bilateral security agreement.

18:57 The defense ministers of the EU states discussed the possibility of training the Ukrainian military on the territory of Ukraine by Western instructors, but there is no unity on this issue, Borrell said. At the same time, he emphasized that Ukraine plans to mobilize more people, and therefore needs to train more soldiers. The total number of Ukrainian military personnel trained by the EU training mission should reach 60 thousand by the end of the summer, the diplomat added.

Taoj Borrell said that some countries were against the use of their weapons against targets in Russia, but have recently changed their position. At the same time, he did not name specific states that changed their minds, nor the number of these countries.

18:51 During a working visit to Belgium, Zelensky visited the Melsbroek military base, inspected F-16 fighters and talked with Belgian instructor pilots and Ukrainian military personnel who are undergoing training there:

18:25 The number of victims as a result of today's Russian air bomb attack on the village of Alekseevo-Druzhkovka, Kramatorsk district, Donetsk region, has increased to six, including a four-year-old child, the prosecutor's office reported. Dozens of households and a church were damaged.

18:07 The Russian group in Ukraine and near its borders amounts to about 500 thousand military personnel, and the Russian Federation is preparing to add another 200-300 thousand people, Umerov said in an interview with Reuters. Also, according to the minister, the Russian Federation’s goal is to open a new front in the north in order to begin using all its manpower and firepower against Ukraine.

17:59 Poland should not rule out sending troops to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said: “We should not rule out this. We must leave Putin to think about our intentions.”

17:31 Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur proposes to increase the number of Ukrainian military personnel trained as part of the European mission EUMAM to 100 thousand. He recalled that the EU promised to increase training in EUMAM from 40 to 60 thousand people, and expressed hope that this will be done. But Pevkur is sure that this is not enough.

17:05 Russia is increasing its information campaign about a possible attack from Belarus, but today the enemy does not have the forces and means to attack Ukraine from the territory of the Republic of Belarus, said the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council Andrei Kovalenko. He emphasized that from Belarus there is now only an information threat. The enemy’s goal is to stretch Ukrainian forces and reserves and affect logistics. “To do this, they will escalate the situation with information so that our command pays more attention to this direction. But Belarus is under constant surveillance,” Kovalenko noted.

16:42 Bild writes, citing sources, that Ukraine once used the Patriot system from Germany for strikes “at its discretion.” After this, angry calls came from Berlin and Washington and threats to stop the supply of anti-aircraft missiles if such an incident were repeated. Ukraine is also not allowed to use Western air defense against attacks by Russian aircraft. She has to wait until the bombers fire their cruise missiles and they fly over Ukrainian territory to shoot them down, the publication notes.

16:26 Putin commented on the possible granting of permission to Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western weapons: “Representatives of NATO countries, especially in Europe, especially in small countries, must be aware of what they are playing with. They must remember that this is, as a rule, states with a small territory and a very dense population. This is a factor that they must keep in mind."

The head of the Kremlin also said that the possible entry of Western troops into Ukraine is “escalation and another step towards conflict in Europe and a global conflict.” At the same time, according to him, Russia is ready for the negotiation process on Ukraine, “but it is unknown what they will offer it.” In addition, Putin believes that “according to preliminary assessment”, the only legitimate government in Ukraine is supposedly the parliament and the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada.

15:59 The Russian army struck Alekseevo-Druzhkovka in the Donetsk region, three people were wounded, including a child, said the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin. The Russians dropped a one and a half ton volumetric detonating aerial bomb with a planning and correction module on the town. About a hundred houses were damaged, three of them were almost completely destroyed.

15:28 Restarting the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is now impossible, said IAEA head Rafael Grossi following negotiations with Rosatom head Alexei Likhachev in Kaliningrad.

14:45 Russia has significantly intensified the campaign to recruit foreign mercenaries for the war against Ukraine, reports the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. We are talking about recruiting manpower in central Africa, in particular in Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and Uganda. A specially created unit of the Russian Ministry of Defense is engaged in the recruitment of Africans. The mercenaries are promised $2,000 for signing a contract and a monthly allowance of $2,200, as well as medical insurance and a Russian passport for the soldier and his family members.

14:23 Several countries from the air defense coalition asked Sweden to wait to supply Ukraine with Gripen fighter jets, Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson said. According to him, "this is due to the fact that now the main focus is on the implementation of the F-16 system." At the same time, Jonson did not rule out that in the future Gripen aircraft will be transferred to Kyiv, “but now the main attention of the Ukrainian side is focused on the implementation of the F-16 program.” The minister explained that the supply of Gripen does not meet the coalition’s views on the introduction of two fighter aircraft systems simultaneously.

13:54 The upper house of the Swiss parliament supported the proposal to expel Russian spies on the eve of the Peace Summit.

13:48 Peskov said that “we are not talking about an allegedly planned conference on Ukraine with Russia’s participation in Saudi Arabia.”

13:12 Sweden is providing Ukraine with a new energy package totaling more than 56 million euros, the country's government reported.

13:06 Stoltenberg once again stated that NATO does not plan to send military personnel to Ukraine or participate in any way in military operations. At the same time, he did not rule out the possibility of lifting restrictions for Kyiv regarding attacks by Western weapons on Russia. According to the Secretary General, these will be “national decisions.”

Meanwhile, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo opposed allowing Ukraine to use Western weapons on Russian territory. He stated that the weapons transferred by Brussels could only be used on the territory of Ukraine.

12:58 Zelensky said that Putin will “applaud while standing” if Biden does not come to the Peace Summit in Switzerland: “I know that America supports the summit, but you and I don’t know at what level. I believe that this is not a very strong decision, with all due respect to every person in the United States of America... I believe that the Peace Summit needs President Biden, other leaders who look at the US reaction need him. His absence will only be applauded by Putin, personally applauded by Putin. and standing up."

12:24 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and discussed in detail the preparations for the Peace Summit.

12:19 Shmygal will meet in Prague on May 28 with a group of European Union leaders to discuss military assistance to Ukraine, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said. The working meeting over dinner will also be attended by the Prime Ministers of the Netherlands, Denmark, Latvia and the President of Poland. Fiala also stressed that Western countries should lift the ban on Ukraine using Western weapons to attack Russian territory.

11:45 The Netherlands, with the support of other countries, wants to assemble and transfer the Patriot system to Ukraine as soon as possible. To this end, the Netherlands is providing key components from its stockpile and calling on European countries to add other parts they have. “We are negotiating with countries about assembling the Patriot system, as well as training Ukrainian crews. With our proposal, and if other potential partner countries can provide parts and ammunition, we will be able to provide Ukraine with at least one complete system in the short term,” - noted the head of the country's Ministry of Defense Kaisa Ollongren.

11:11 The head of the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren, insists on granting Ukraine the right to strike targets on the territory of the Russian Federation: “It is absolutely obvious that they must strike inside Russia, therefore, from my point of view, this should not be a subject of discussion, and I I hope that other countries that have a different position will change it." According to Ollongren, Ukraine is now fighting “with one hand tied behind its back.”

11:06 Ukraine and Belgium signed a bilateral security agreement. The document provides for the provision of at least 977 million euros in military assistance to Ukraine from Belgium in 2024 and the country’s obligation to provide support to Kyiv during the ten-year term of the agreement. According to the Presidential Office, for the first time such a security agreement specifies the specific number of F-16s that will be provided to Ukraine - 30 fighters by 2028. Moreover, the first fighters should be delivered this year.

11:03 Today in Ukraine there are no restrictions on electricity consumption, which is due to an increase in the volume of internal generation, including nuclear power - after scheduled repairs, two nuclear units were connected to the power grid. Weather conditions and active operation of solar stations during the daytime also contribute, the Ministry of Energy reported. At the same time, the department warned that several more nuclear units are preparing for scheduled repairs, so the volume of generation will decrease.

Ukrenergo also warned that in the summer, power outages will be even more severe than now. Ukrenergo also urged to prepare for a difficult winter, since it will take months, and even years for some power units, to restore damaged power plants.

10:35 EU defense ministers today will discuss the possibility of granting Ukraine permission to strike with Western weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation and the associated “risks of escalation,” Borrell said. The meeting will also be attended by Umerov and Stoltenberg, who previously called for allowing such strikes. Another issue on the agenda is the allocation of military aid worth 5 billion euros through the European Peace Fund, which Hungary is blocking. Budapest demands, in particular, that its contributions not be used for any military support for Ukraine.

10:13 Latvia will invest another 20 million euros in a coalition of drones in support of Ukraine, said the country's Minister of Defense Andris Spruds. This amount includes both the creation of infrastructure and the purchase of drones, including from Latvian companies in the amount of at least 10 million euros. The same amount will be used to strengthen the Latvian drone army. “Seeing the importance of drones in war and guided by the experience of Ukraine, we can announce the launch of the Drone Capability Initiative this year. We can metaphorically talk about creating an army of drones,” Sprudes said.

09:59 Belgium will transfer 30 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by 2028, Foreign Minister Khaja Lahbib said. According to her, the first fighters should be delivered to Ukraine “by the end of the year.”

09:47 The Russian Alabuga drone plant in Tatarstan plans to produce 6,000 Shahed attack UAVs per year, writes The Wall Street Journal. The plant uses Iranian technology and employs workers from East Africa. At the end of April, the plant was ahead of schedule, delivering 4,500 Shahed drones to the Russian army.

In addition, the company produces Albatross reconnaissance drones, which conduct photographic reconnaissance of Ukrainian Armed Forces positions and movements on the front line. The newspaper notes that the development of this production “could influence the course of the war in Ukraine.”

08:54 Late in the evening of May 27, the Russians attacked the village. Borovaya, Izyum district, Kharkov region, one person was injured, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. In addition, as a result of yesterday's air strike on Kharkov from the UMPB DT-30, one person was killed and 13 were injured. Two more people were wounded in the village. Dugouts in the Chuguevsky district and one in the village. Martovo Chuguevsky district.

08:29 In the Kherson region over the past 24 hours, two people were injured as a result of Russian shelling, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. Three private homes, an educational institution, a cell tower and a water tower were damaged.

07:53 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of May 28:

  • personnel - about 503,800 (+1460) people,

  • tanks - 7692 (+21),

  • armored combat vehicles - 14,858 (+40),

  • artillery systems - 13,029 (+48),

  • MLRS - 1085 (+1),

  • air defense systems - 815 (+0),

  • aircraft - 357 (+0),

  • helicopters - 326 (+0),

  • UAVs of operational-tactical level - 10 482 (+15),

  • cruise missiles - 2221 (+0),

  • ships/boats - 27 (+0),

  • submarines - 1 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tank trucks - 17,740 (+46),

  • special equipment - 2122 (+4).

07:29 At night, air defense destroyed all three attack UAVs of the Shahed-131/136 type, which Russia attacked from Primorsko-Akhtarsk, the Air Force reported. Drones were shot down in Zaporozhye, Dnepropetrovsk and Cherkasy regions.

02:52 Hungary is blocking the allocation of 6.5 billion euros in urgent military aid to Ukraine, and the EU still cannot approve at least seven documents necessary to provide weapons to Ukraine, Bloomberg writes. The publication notes that Budapest’s position on blocking aid to Ukraine is causing increasing indignation among EU members.

01:20 Zelensky will arrive in Belgium on Tuesday, May 28, where he will sign a bilateral security agreement, reports the Belgian public broadcaster VRT.

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: May 26, 2024
2024-05-27
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21:45 Russia is carrying out sabotage in Europe to disrupt military supplies to Ukraine, writes The New York Times. Among such operations, in particular, are the arson of a warehouse in Britain, a paint factory in Poland, residential buildings in Latvia, and an Ikea store in Lithuania. It is also known that Russian agents have been arrested on charges of preparing attacks on American military bases.

While the moves may seem random, U.S. and European security officials say they are part of a concerted effort by Russia to slow arms transfers to Kyiv and create the appearance of growing opposition in support of Ukraine, the newspaper said.

21:39 Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson said that Ukraine has the right to strike targets on the territory of the Russian Federation: “Ukraine is subjected to an unprovoked and illegal aggressive war on the part of Russia. According to international law, Ukraine has the right to defend itself by military actions aimed at enemy territory, if they comply with the laws of war. Sweden supports international law and Ukraine's right to defense."

21:36 The United States will attend the Peace Summit in Switzerland, but it is still unknown who exactly will represent the country and at what level, Reuters writes, citing sources.

21:33 Zelensky said in an evening video message that he spoke with Syrsky today: “For this day, the hottest direction is Pokrovskoye in the Donetsk region. But even in the Kharkiv region, in particular in the areas of Volchansk and Liptsy, the occupier does not give up attempts to attack.”

In turn, the General Staff reports that during the day the enemy’s activity in the Kupyansky direction sharply, almost doubled, and it did not subside in Pokrovsky. In particular, in the Kupyansky direction, the Russians are storming in the areas of Novoegorovka, Petropavlovka, Berestovo and Grekovka, and in the Pokrovsky direction - in the areas of Novoaleksandrovka, Sokol and Umansky.

21:19 In the Donetsk region, three people were killed during the day as a result of Russian shelling - in Seversk, Chasovoy Yar and Krasnogorovka, the prosecutor's office reported.

20:22 On Monday, May 27, limits on electricity consumption for household and industrial consumers will be in effect in all regions of Ukraine from 06:00 to 24:00, Ukrenergo reported. If limits are exceeded, oblenergos may apply hourly shutdown schedules.

19:51 The number of victims as a result of today's Russian strike on the village. Boguslavka, Izyum district, Khar'kov region, has grown to five, including two children aged nine and 12, the prosecutor’s office reported. One person died. Also, the Russian military once again shelled Volchansk - two people were injured. In the village of Staritsa, Chuguevsky district, one person was killed and one was injured. Another person was injured as a result of an enemy FPV drone strike in the village. Ivashki of the Zolochiv community.

18:47 Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen initiated a joint appeal to the EU together with colleagues from Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland on the integration of Ukraine into the European defense-industrial complex.

18:30 There are unofficial signals from the United States that the White House has already begun to discuss the decision to grant Ukraine permission to use American weapons on Russian territory, said MP Yegor Chernev, who is the head of the permanent delegation of Ukraine to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. “The problem is that decisions there are made by a team in which there is currently no consensus. But they are pressing from all sides. There are chances,” he added.

Meanwhile, Scholz once again stated that he opposes the use of Western weapons to strike the Russian Federation. According to the chancellor, the goal of his policy towards Ukraine is to “prevent the conflict from escalating into a major war.” He added that until now Germany has made the supply of weapons to Ukraine dependent on whether they will not be used on the territory of the Russian Federation.

18:13 The death toll as a result of the Russian strike on the Epicenter in Khar'kov has increased to 16, eight people are listed as missing , said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov. Ten of the dead were identified, eight of whom were identified using DNA tests. Among the dead are a 12-year-old child and his mother. Employees of the State Emergency Service have cleared about 30% of the rubble; work is suspended during air raid signals.

The head of the Investigation Department of the GUNP in the Khar'kov region, Sergei Bolvinov, showed the moment of the airstrike from inside the Khar'kov Epicenter. He called on everyone who is now looking for their loved ones to donate DNA samples - “for now this is the only way to establish the identities of those who have already been found and will still be found at the site of the impact.”

17:39 Since the beginning of the year, the Russians have dropped almost 10 thousand KABs on Ukraine, said Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

16:21 Russia produces artillery shells three times faster than the United States and the EU, writes Sky News, citing data from the consulting company Bain&Company. According to her analysis, Russia plans to produce 4.5 million ammunition in 2024, but it is unknown how much of this is refurbished and produced.

15:25 The Russians struck Boguslavka, Izyum district, Khar'kov region - one person was killed, two were injured, including a nine-year-old child, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov.

14:02 For the first time since August 2023, two Russian military helicopters arrived in Belarus, reports the Belarusian Gayun monitoring group. According to analysts, there are currently two Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft and at least four Russian Su-30SM fighter jets, one Mi-24 helicopter and one Russian Mi-8 helicopter at the Baranovichi airfield.

10:09 Zelensky recorded a video message from the site of a Russian missile attack on a printing house in Kharkov. In it, he called on Biden and Xi Jinping to attend the Peace Summit in person: “More than 80 countries have confirmed their participation... I appeal to the world leaders who have so far been on the sidelines of the global efforts to prepare for the Peace Summit. To President Biden, leader United States, President Xi, the leader of China. We do not want the UN Charter to burn - just like these books. Please show your leadership in bringing peace - real peace, not a pause between blows. Please support the peace summit with yours. personal leadership and participation."

The president also said that Russia is gathering another group of troops near the border: “Just now, the other day, we are defending ourselves 60 kilometers northeast of this place from another attempt at a Russian offensive. Russia is preparing for an attempt at offensive actions 90 kilometers from here to the northwest - another group of troops is gathering at our border."

09:58 Elimination of the fire in the Khar'kov hypermarket Epicenter lasted more than 16 hours, said the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Igor Klimenko. As of morning, 12 dead and 43 injured were known, 16 people were considered missing.

09:44 In the Kherson region over the past 24 hours, four people were injured as a result of Russian shelling, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. 11 private houses, critical and industrial infrastructure facilities were damaged.

09:10 As a result of a night attack in one of the cities of the Khmelnytsky region, 3,000 subscribers were disconnected from electricity, now all consumers are connected to the power grid, said the head of the OVA Sergei Tyurin. Public accounts write that the Russians have once again attacked Starokonstantinov, where the military airfield is located.

09:06 The death toll as a result of yesterday's Russian attack on the Epicenter hypermarket in Khar'kov has increased to 12, 43 people were injured , said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. A fire broke out on an area of ​​13,500 square meters. m, structural elements of a hypermarket, a furniture store, and a shopping center were damaged. In addition, as a result of the evening strike in the Shevchenko district of the city, 25 people were injured. Seven high-rise buildings, a medical facility, a store, and a research institute building were damaged.

In the village Pechenegs of the Chuguev region, four people were injured as a result of the shelling, and one person was wounded in Chuguev. There are five victims in Kupyansk-Uzlovoy, including a paramedic.

08:55 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of May 26:

  • personnel - about 501,190 (+1110) people,

  • tanks - 7662 (+12),

  • armored combat vehicles - 14,803 (+17),

  • artillery systems - 12 953 (+24),

  • MLRS - 1083 (+1),

  • air defense systems - 814 (+0),

  • aircraft - 357 (+1),

  • helicopters - 326 (+0),

  • UAV of operational-tactical level - 10 425 (+11),

  • cruise missiles - 2209 (+0),

  • ships/boats - 27 (+0),

  • submarines - 1 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tank trucks - 17,639 (+31),

  • special equipment - 2111 (+7).

08:34 In the city of Zhmerynka, Vinnytsia region, during a night attack, three four-story residential buildings and seven private ones were damaged as a result of falling debris from an enemy drone. Three people were injured, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Borzov.

08:02 Air defense destroyed 12 cruise missiles and 31 attack drones at night, the Air Force reported. In total, Russia used during the massive attack:

  • two Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles from MiG-31K aircraft (launched from the airspace of the Tambov region);

  • 12 X-101/X-555 cruise missiles from Tu-95 MS strategic aviation aircraft (launch area - Saratov region);

  • 31 attack UAV Shahed-131/136 (launched - Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Yeisk, Cape Chauda).

All 12 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles and all 31 Shahed-131/136 UAVs were destroyed. Air targets were shot down in Nikolaev, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava, Zaporozhye, Khmelnitsky, Kirovograd, Vinnitsa and Chernigov regions.

00:47 The Russian Army occupied Umanskoye and advanced into Ivanovka, DeepState analysts reported.

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: April 22, 2024
2024-04-23
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent] 22:32 Zelensky said in an evening video message that the United States will provide Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles in a new package of military assistance.

22:28 Kuleba said that Ukraine is discussing with its allies the provision of four Patriot batteries: “Currently, four specific batteries are in development, if we are talking about Patriot. Negotiations are underway between us and the relevant countries and the United States.”

22:19 Most analysts agree that problems await Ukraine in the near future. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kirill Budanov, says that the coming period will be difficult, but “difficult and catastrophic are two different things.” Read about what awaits us in the article War in the summer of 2024.

21:34 Zelensky said that he met with a bipartisan delegation of the US Congress. We discussed macro-financial support, military assistance, in particular the need for artillery shells, long-range missiles, electronic warfare and UAVs, combat aircraft, and support for the development of the Ukrainian defense industry. There was also talk about the confiscation of frozen Russian assets.

21:25 The Russian army in the Donetsk region has broken through the Ukrainian front near Avdeevka, says German BILD journalist and open data analysis expert Julian Repke. According to him, the invaders advanced in a northwestern direction from the city, and the enemy allegedly entered the village of Ocheretino. But there is no official confirmation from the Defense Forces yet. For more information about what is known, see the material Breakthrough of the Front at Avdeevka.

20:47 Radio Liberty showed the consequences of the attack on a television tower in Kharkov:

20:26 The Russians struck near the village. Yurchenkovo, Chuguevsky district, Kharkov region - as a result of a direct hit on an excavator, its driver died, the prosecutor's office reported. Also, one person was injured during aerial shelling of the village. Prikolotnoe Olkhovat community. In the village In Glushkovka of the Kurilov community, the buildings of an agricultural enterprise were damaged as a result of shelling.

19:59 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with Biden following the voting results in the House of Representatives. The American president assured that he would immediately sign the law after approval by the Senate, and that the first defense aid package “will be fast and powerful and will strengthen our air defense, long-range and artillery capabilities,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky also told Biden about the attack on the Kharkov TV tower. According to him, “this is Russia’s clear intention to make the city uninhabitable.”

19:32 According to preliminary data, the Russians attacked a television infrastructure facility in Kharkov with an X-59 missile, the prosecutor’s office reported.

18:51 It has become popular among Russian school principals to invite Russian military personnel who have come from the front to visit their students. However, they invite not just military personnel, but the main “heroes” of the so-called “SVO” - Wagnerites, who usually turn out to be murderers, pedophiles or serial maniacs. However, such meetings with criminals are now proudly called in Russia “education of patriotism.” Read more in the material Lesson from the “hero”.

18:26 The first deliveries of ammunition to Ukraine within the framework of the Czech initiative will begin in late May - early June, Borrell said. He also noted that a number of EU countries have expressed their readiness to supply air defense systems and ammunition to Ukraine in the near future.

18:14 Peskov said that Putin “stated the fact of Russia’s readiness for a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian issue, but “this is not a peaceful initiative.” He added that Kyiv de jure rejects the possibility of negotiations with Moscow, and there is no progress on this issue.

17:35 The Russians carried out strikes on Kharkov and three settlements in the region within an hour, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. In the regional center, the enemy struck a television infrastructure facility - no people were injured, but there were interruptions in the digital television signal. In Volchansk, a guided aerial bomb hit the territory of an inactive meat processing plant, in the village. Slobozhanskoe, Kharkov district, hit an open area, in Dergachi also hit an open area.

16:54 The next meeting of the Ramstein Contact Group will take place on April 26 in a video conference format, said Dutch Defense Minister Kaisa Ollongren.

16:49 Sweden does not rule out transferring the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine, Defense Minister Paul Johnson said: “We are at the stage of creating our own air defense system. Many countries use Patriot, and the United States has significant resources in this area. It is quite possible that we can do contribution, but we have to look at how best to do it."

16:43 The supply of weapons from Western partners will level out the situation at the front, Zelensky said following a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Headquarters. According to him, the Russian army has been given “the task of demonstrating at least some victories before May 9, without regard to its own losses. Now they are also being urged on by the positive decisions of Ukraine’s friends.”

The President also instructed that by the next meeting of the Headquarters, to collect everything that intelligence knows about the Russians’ intentions to destroy civilian infrastructure, and to prepare a comprehensive plan for further actions: strengthening physical protection, redistributing air defense systems and decentralization.

15:57 Zelensky said that he does not believe in the possibility of the Olympic truce initiated by Macron: “I don’t believe in this with Russia. I don’t believe in this format of the truce as a whole, I don’t believe in any format of the truce with the Russian Federation. Emmanuel is he knows, he himself is a witness of this, we were together in the Normandy format. We went through this entire Minsk process together, France, Germany, Ukraine - we are all living witnesses that there is no frozen conflict with Russia. This is a question for Russia to regroup and leave to them. more additional forces to destroy us later.”

15:18 The German manufacturer of building materials Knauf announced that it is completely curtailing its activities in Russia after more than 30 years of work in the Russian market. This decision was preceded by a scandal with construction in occupied Mariupol. The media found out that German companies, in particular Knauf and WKB Systems, are helping Russians carry out construction in Mariupol.

14:33 Bild writes that Germany has disrupted the supply of MRAP armored vehicles to Ukraine. This year, Berlin promised to supply the Ukrainian Armed Forces with up to 400 heavy MRAP wheeled armored vehicles with enhanced mine protection. A contract was signed for 315 million euros, which was to be financed by Germany. However, deliveries never began. The plan was reduced first to 200 and then to 100 vehicles, and the start of deliveries was postponed to May-June.

The reason is that the supplier company receives spare parts for MRAP from the USA and only assembles them in Germany. According to the newspaper, the company had “limitations on its license to export from the United States to Germany,” as well as problems with mine protection certification.

14:01 Norway will join the initiative to provide Ukraine with additional air defense systems financially, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said: “We have very little time, so Norway will be involved in financing. There are several other countries that contribute to this, because they have air defense systems defenses that can get into Ukraine quite quickly, and they have been working intensively on this in the last few days and weeks."

13:55 Latvia is ready to transfer a short-range air defense system to Ukraine, Defense Minister Andris Spruds said.

13:26 As a result of an attack on the rescue ship Communa in Sevastopol, at least two employees of the auxiliary fleet of the Russian Navy were injured, reports the opposition Russian publication Astra. According to sources, on the morning of April 21, an anti-ship missile Neptune was shot down over one of the berths of Holland Bay in Sevastopol, and fragments fell on the Kommuna ship, which caught fire.

12:59 The Russian army again shelled the Dnieper district of Kherson - two people were wounded, the OVA reported.

12:35 A Russian plane dropped another aerial bomb on the Belgorod region, the opposition Russian publication Astra reported. FAB-500 was found in the area of ​​the Stadnikov village of the Shebekinsky city district on April 21. Earlier, journalists counted at least 21 aerial bombs that fell from Russian planes onto the territory of the Russian Federation or the occupied territories of Ukraine in March and April.

12:27 A bipartisan delegation of the US Congress arrived in Kiev. It included members of the House of Representatives Thomas Kane, Bill Keating, Madeleine Dean and Nathaniel Moran, the US Embassy in Ukraine reported.

11:54 Dmitry Pletenchuk has been appointed head of the Center for Strategic Communications of the Southern Defense Forces - he told Ukrinform about this. He was appointed to replace Natalya Gumenyuk, who was recently fired after numerous complaints from journalists. Previously, Pletenchuk was the speaker of the Ukrainian Navy.

11:39 Russian troops fired at a bus stop in the Dnieper district of Kherson, one person was wounded, the OVA reported.

11:03 EU and NATO member countries are putting pressure on Greece and Spain to transfer additional air defense systems to Ukraine, writes the Financial Times. Following Kyiv's call for at least seven additional systems, only Germany announced deliveries of Patriot, while other EU leaders used last week's Brussels summit to personally urge the prime ministers of Spain and Greece to donate some of their systems to Ukraine. In particular, the partners argued such a request by the fact that their armed forces have more than ten Patriot and other systems, and their needs are not as great as the needs of Ukraine.

“We all know who has them, we all know where they are, and we all know who really needs them,” one of the interlocutors told the publication. However, Poland and Romania, which also have Patriot, are under less pressure given their more vulnerable location on the border with Ukraine.

10:32 At the end of 2023, Ukraine ranked first in the world in terms of growth in military spending relative to GDP - they increased by 11%, to 37% of GDP, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Russia is in second place - its military spending increased by 1.2%, to 5.9%. Overall, Ukraine’s military spending increased by 51% and amounted to $64.8 billion in 2023. Thus, Ukraine moved from 11th place in military spending in 2022 to 8th place in 2023.

Global military spending has increased for the ninth year in a row. In 2023, they increased by another 6.8% to $2.4 trillion, which corresponds to 2.3% of global GDP. This is the highest global level of military spending since SIPRI research. Analysts attribute this trend to wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as tensions in Asia.

09:48 Budanov said in an interview with the BBC that Ukraine will face a difficult situation from May, but not a catastrophic one: “In our assessment, a rather difficult situation awaits us in the near future. But it is not catastrophic, this also needs to be understood. Armageddon will not happen, as many are now starting to say. But there will be problems from mid-May.” The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate clarified that these will be problems not only at the front, but also in the context of the internal political situation, since “the Russians will use an integrated approach.” “This will be a difficult period. Mid-May, early June,” the scout added.

Budanov also predicts that the conflict with Russia will be permanent. In his opinion, the current war will end after the Ukrainian Armed Forces reach the borders of 1991, but then “this conflict will permanently appear, subside, reappear, and so on.” “Look at our history. We, the Russian Federation, the Russian Empire, the Moscow Kingdom, have been making peace and fighting all our lives. We will not be able to change the course of history in the future,” Budanov explained.

At the same time, he believes that there is now no threat of an attack on Kyiv, and such a scenario was and remains “groundless.” According to Budanov, as of now, “there is absolutely no threat.”

09:07 In the Kherson region over the past 24 hours, the Russians fired at Novovorontsovka, Antonovka, Kherson, Kazatskoye, Berislav and Novoberislav. Three people were wounded, one of them a child, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. Hits were recorded in a medical facility, educational institution, kindergarten, and gas pipeline.

08:36 During the night attack, kamikaze drones, which failed to be shot down, hit the territory of a farm in the Odessa region. Warehouse buildings and farm equipment were damaged, but no people were injured, the Southern Defense Force said.

08:18 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of April 22:

  • personnel - about 460,260 (+730) people,

  • tanks - 7236 (+7),

  • armored combat vehicles - 13,904 (+8),

  • artillery systems - 11,736 (+17),

  • MLRS - 1046 (+0),

  • air defense systems - 768 (+1),

  • aircraft - 348 (+0),

  • helicopters - 325 (+0),

  • UAV of operational-tactical level - 9384 (+5),

  • cruise missiles - 2117 (+2),

  • ships/boats - 26 (+0),

  • submarines - 1 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tank trucks - 15,812 (+27),

  • special equipment - 1934 (+8).

07:39 Air defense at night destroyed five of the seven attack UAVs of the Shahed-131/136 type, which Russia attacked from the Crimean Cape Chauda, ​​the Air Force command reported. All drones were destroyed in the Odessa region. Air defense forces also shot down an Orlan-10 operational-tactical UAV. In addition, Russia attacked with three S-300/S-400 anti-aircraft guided missiles from the occupied territory of the Donetsk region.

07:27 Over the past 24 hours, 85 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report. In particular, the enemy tried 23 times to break through the defenses of Ukrainian troops in the Novopavlovsk direction - in the Georgievka, Novomikhailovka, Vodyanoye and Urozhainy areas of the Donetsk region. Another 17 attacks were repelled in Limanskoye (in the areas of Serebryansky forestry in the Lugansk region and Ternov in the Donetsk region) and 16 attacks in Avdeevskoye (in the areas of the settlements of Ocheretino, Berdychi, Umanskoye, Yasnobrodovka, Netaylovo and Pervomaiskoye in the Donetsk region). In the Bakhmut direction, 14 attacks were repelled in the areas of Belogorivka, Luhansk region, as well as Verkhnekamensky, Vyemka, Bogdanovka, Donetsk region.

The enemy did not conduct offensive actions in the Kupyansk direction. In the Orekhovsky direction, the Defense Forces repelled four attacks in the Staromayorsky districts of the Donetsk region and Rabotino, Zaporozhye region; on Kherson - four attacks on the left bank of the Dnieper.

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: March 14, 2024
2024-03-15
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:17 In the Vinnytsia region, a Russian drone hit a residential building, three people were injured, said the head of the OVA Sergei Borzov.

22:14 France will never take the initiative in military operations in Ukraine, Macron said. According to him, France is “a force for peace” and is not at war with Russia. However, the West, according to the French president, should not allow the Russian Federation to win. Macron also called the situation at the front in Ukraine “fragile.” “Today we are not in a situation where we need to send troops to Ukraine, but we do not exclude such a scenario,” the French president added.

21:53 Russia has already launched about 50 North Korean-made missiles in Ukraine, said the head of the Kharkov Regional Prosecutor's Office Alexander Filchakov.
Did they stop for food at the nearest 7-11 before going on to hit their targets?
21:50 Zelensky in an evening video message announced “even more of our weapons, shells, our drones, our electronic warfare systems”: “Today I met with employees of one of these enterprises - defense ones. We don’t talk about this officially. Now, during the war, we don’t "We can openly show everything that we really can. After the war, of course, we will express our gratitude openly."

21:34 The US Department of Defense will not be able to allocate a new package of military assistance to Ukraine, said Pentagon Deputy Speaker Sabrina Singh. She called the provision of the latest $300 million aid package to Ukraine a “unique case.” Singh also added that military assistance to Kyiv is related to the need for emergency support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to Singh, the Pentagon has no data on the possibility of its repetition.

21:29 In the morning, the Russians fired mortars at the town of Seredina-Buda, Shostkinsky district, Sumy region, four people were wounded, the prosecutor’s office reported. At least seven private homes were damaged.

21:26 Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Ermak said that he had a telephone conversation with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó, during which the parties agreed to hold a bilateral meeting between the teams at the government level next week.

21:12 Ukraine and Latvia have begun negotiations on concluding a bilateral security agreement, the Presidential Office reported.

21:04 The third day a raid of Russian volunteers is taking place in the Kursk and Belgorod regions. In these regions of the Russian Federation, active battles and explosions are recorded. In Belgorod itself, two people were killed and 17 more were injured as a result of several shellings. All shopping centers in the city have been closed, and the local population is trying to evacuate on their own. More details about what is happening can be found in the material Fighting for the Russian Belgorod region.

20:47 Repair crews of Ukrenergo have restored the reliability of power supply to the Zaporozhye NPP, the company said. A 330 kV high-voltage line connecting the station with the main network is included in the work. Now the supply of electricity for the ZNPP’s own needs occurs through several high-voltage lines, which significantly enhances the safety of the station’s operation.

20:31 Russia has lost 350 thousand of its soldiers killed and wounded in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. He clarified that this assessment is based on data from Western intelligence services. According to Stoltenberg, Russian casualties in Ukraine have “increased significantly” recently.

20:18 Bulgaria sent Ukraine the first batch of promised armored personnel carriers, the country’s Ministry of Defense reported. The operation to transport armored vehicles began on January 29, and the first convoy of 30 cars departed on March 7.

19:53 Sweden has joined the Czech initiative to supply artillery shells to Ukraine and will allocate 30 million euros for it, Defense Minister Paul Johnson said.

19:37 Ukraine will probably still receive assistance from the United States, which has not been voted on in Congress for six months. Only it can be in the form of a loan. This idea was voiced by House of Representatives representative Mike Johnson, who, in fact, blocked the earlier vote. About what this means, see the material Not help, but credit.

19:01 In Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region, the number of wounded has increased to six, among them a seven-year-old child, said the head of the OVA Sergei Lysak. During the day, Russian troops attacked the city three times with kamikaze drones and four times with heavy artillery. Almost ten high-rise buildings, five private houses, two educational institutions, cafes and shops, three administrative buildings, and a pharmacy were damaged.

18:50 The German defense concern Rheinmetall plans to build at least four factories in Ukraine, said CEO Armin Papperger. The enterprises will produce shells, military equipment and air defense systems. “Ukraine is now an important partner for us, and we see a potential of 2 to 3 billion euros per year,” Papperger noted.

18:46 The Pope, with his statements about the war in Ukraine, “entered a garden into which no one invited him,” said the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell: “His Holiness, the Pope entered a garden into which no one invited him. Call on Ukraine "surrender is more than a wish for peace. I believe that now is not the moment when we need to ask Ukraine to surrender. On the contrary, this is the moment when we need to continue to help."

18:43 The leader of the faction of the ruling SPD party in the Bundestag, Rolf Mützenich, stated the need to “freeze” the war in Ukraine: “Why can’t other European countries provide more funds after all their statements? Isn’t it time for us not only to talk about how to wage a war ", but also to think about how to freeze the war, and then end it? In October 2022, the American government feared the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine. This should give us pause." Earlier today, the Bundestag for the third time rejected a draft resolution from the opposition on the supply of Taurus to Ukraine.

18:40 Le Monde writes, citing sources, that Macron announced in a closed circle on February 21 that he would send the military to Odessa. The newspaper clarified that at that moment he was holding a glass of whiskey in his hands. “In any case, next year I will have to send some guys to Odessa,” said the French president. Five days later, in a conversation with reporters, he said that “nothing can be ruled out.”

According to the publication, the French authorities have been considering the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine since at least June 2023, when this issue was raised at a meeting of the National Defense and Security Council.

18:23 The European Commission is preparing to put forward a proposal to confiscate billions of euros of income received from Russian sovereign assets frozen in Europe in support of Ukraine, writes The Guardian. An unnamed EU official told the publication that Russian assets frozen in Europe are likely to generate between 15 and 20 billion euros in after-tax profits between now and the end of 2027, depending on movements in global interest rates.

17:44 In the Sumy region over the past two days, 800 explosions occurred - this is the six-month “norm” of shelling in the region, said the head of the OBA Vladimir Artyukh. According to him, the enemy has increased the use of KABs, including cluster ones.

17:18 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with Scholz, they discussed further political, economic and defense cooperation, the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for armored vehicles, artillery and air defense. The President thanked Germany for joining the Czech initiative to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine. In addition, they discussed the organization of the Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine, which will be held in Berlin in June.

16:50 Governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov said that another 11 air targets were allegedly shot down on approach to Belgorod, two people were injured as a result of the shelling.

16:27 Due to Ukrainian drone strikes, three oil refineries stopped in Russia. In particular, the country's largest oil refinery is the Ryazan plant of Rosneft PJSC near Moscow, the slightly smaller Novoshakhtinsky plant in the south of the Rostov region and another one - Norsi of Lukoil PJSC in Nizhny Novgorod. As Bloomberg notes, in two days of attacks in the Russian Federation, 12% of oil refining capacity was damaged. About what consequences this will have for the country's economy, see the material Impacts on refineries: gasoline is already becoming more expensive in Russia.

16:09 A guardian family, in which three orphans and children deprived of parental care, aged 11 to 17 years, are being brought up, was returned to the territory controlled by Ukraine, said the head of the Kherson OVA, Alexander Prokudin. During the occupation, children were forced to go to Russian school, and if the mother refused, they were threatened that the children would be taken away.

15:12 The Russians attacked the Kharkov region with an S-300 missile, no casualties were reported, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA.

14:38 Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson announced the development of a new bill to help Ukraine, which will differ significantly from what the Senate approved. According to him, the United States should provide military assistance to Kyiv not for free, but on credit, or transfer weapons under Lend-Lease. Thus, the assistance will not be financed by American taxpayers. Johnson also suggested that frozen assets of the Russian Federation could be used for financing.

14:26 Syrsky said that he continued to work in the brigades that hold the defense in the Zaporozhye direction. According to him, the operational situation in this area is under the control of the Defense Forces; the enemy continues to attack in the Rabotino and Verbovoy areas, “but without much success.” The commander-in-chief also noted that “the confrontation between drones and electronic warfare has come to the fore, and only the one who is the first to achieve a separation from the enemy in this competition will have a chance to win.”

Syrsky also called it positive that it was possible to launch the process of rotation and replacement of units and subunits that have been performing combat missions on the front line for a long time. “This will stabilize the situation and have a positive impact on the moral and psychological state of our soldiers,” he added.

13:43 Since the very morning, the Russians have been shelling Nikopol, Dnepropetrovsk region - there are already five casualties in the city, including a seven-year-old child, said the head of the OVA Sergei Lysak.

13:10 The Air Force uses “all available means and instruments” to counteract enemy tactical aviation and keep it at a distance, and, if necessary, destroy the enemy, said the commander of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Nikolai Oleshchuk. He emphasized that “anti-aircraft missile units, including Patriot, continue to carry out missions in certain areas of the front-line territories.” Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced another alleged destruction of the Patriot air defense system.

12:32 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the Russian military allegedly thwarted an “attempt by the Ukrainian Armed Forces” to break into Russian territory in the Sdaryushino area in the Belgorod region.

12:23 Governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov said that the air defense allegedly shot down ten air targets on approach to Belgorod, while one person was killed and three were injured.

12:19 In Sumy, the number of deaths as a result of the strike on a five-story building on March 13 increased to three - rescuers released another body, the State Emergency Service reported. Work continues.

11:51 Employees of the Russian Guard, together with the military and employees of the FSB border department, are fighting, “repelling an attack by enemy saboteurs” in the Kursk region, the law enforcement agency reported. In turn, the Legion of Freedom of Russia stated that two warehouses with ammunition were destroyed in Tetkino, Kursk region.

11:07 The governor of the Kursk region, Roman Starovoit, said that the “Ukrainian DRG” allegedly did not give up attempts to enter the territory of the region, but they were not allowed to do so.

10:52 The Russians carried out missile and air strikes on radio engineering facilities in the Sumy region, the OVA reported. Television and radio broadcasting transmitters in Sumy, Shostka, Belopolye and Trostyanets were temporarily disabled. As a result of the damage, part of the region's territory is temporarily unable to receive Ukrainian television and radio signals. There may also be interruptions in mobile communications.

10:18 At a meeting of EU ambassadors on March 13, representatives of Malta, Luxembourg and Hungary opposed the purchase of ammunition from Ukraine at the expense of frozen Russian assets, Politico writes. Earlier, a similar plan was proposed by the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

09:40 The Russian Volunteer Corps appealed to residents of the Kursk and Belgorod regions to immediately evacuate: “Your leadership has not taken any measures for your protection or evacuation, and the shelling of peaceful cities and villages in Ukraine continues as before. We are forced to return fire on military facilities in border regions."

09:07 Russian public pages write about a missile attack on a test site near the village of Trekhizbenka in the occupied Lugansk region. At least ten Russian servicemen were killed.

08:49 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that air defense systems allegedly “intercepted and destroyed” 11 drones over the territory of the Belgorod region and three over the Kursk region at night. In addition, eight rockets were allegedly destroyed over the Belgorod region. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that one person was killed and three were injured in Belgorod. In Grayvoron, one person was injured and several apartment buildings were damaged.

08:35 At night, the Russians massively fired attack drones at television infrastructure facilities in the Kharkov region. Restoration work continues on some of them, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. In addition, the enemy fired an S-300 missile at the Shevchenkovsky district of Kharkov. No casualties were reported; non-residential civilian premises were damaged.

08:04 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of March 14:

  • personnel - about 427,840 (+970) people,

  • tanks - 6757 (+5),

  • armored combat vehicles - 12,938 (+17),

  • artillery systems - 10,565 (+11),

  • MLRS - 1017 (+0),

  • air defense systems - 717 (+2),

  • aircraft - 347 (+0),

  • helicopters - 325 (+0),

  • UAV of operational-tactical level - 8220 (+15),

  • cruise missiles - 1920 (+1),

  • ships/boats - 26 (+0),

  • submarines - 1 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tank trucks - 13,959 (+27),

  • special equipment - 1708 (+9).

07:46 The number of victims as a result of the missile attack on Krivoy Rog has increased to 50, five were killed, said the head of the Dnepropetrovsk Air Force Sergei Lysak. 17 people remain in hospitals, seven of them are children. Today is a day of mourning in the city.

07:31 At night, the Russians attacked Ukraine with 36 Shahed-type attack drones, of which 22 UAVs were destroyed, the General Staff reported in its morning report.

Over the past 24 hours, 79 military clashes took place at the front. In particular, the enemy tried 29 times to break through the defenses of Ukrainian troops in the Novopavlovsk direction - in the areas of Krasnohorivka, Georgievka, Novomikhailovka and south of Zolotaya Niva in the Donetsk region. Another 20 enemy attacks were repelled in the Avdeevsky direction - in the areas of the settlements of Berdychi, Orlovka, Tonenkoye, Pervomaiskoye and Nevelskoye in the Donetsk region.

In the Kupyansk direction, the Defense Forces repelled four enemy attacks in the areas of Tabaevka, Kharkov region and Stelmakhovka, Luhansk region; in Limansky - 11 attacks in the areas of Belogorivka, Lugansk region, as well as Ternov, Yampolevka and Verkhnekamensky, Donetsk region; on Bakhmutsky - three attacks in areas east of Chasov Yar, Bogdanovka and Kleshcheevka of the Donetsk region; on Orekhovsky - seven attacks in the Staromayorsky district of the Donetsk region, west of Verbovoy and Rabotino of the Zaporozhye region; on Kherson - two attacks.

05:52 At night, the Russians attacked the civilian infrastructure of four cities in the Sumy region with attack drones: Sumy, Shostka, Trostyanets and Belopolye. Missile attacks were also carried out on Shostka and Trostyanets. The consequences of the attack are being clarified, OVA reported.

04:24 The United States plans to open in Australia the first foreign plant for the production of GMLRS long-range guided missiles for HIMARS, which will be sent to Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal writes, citing American and Australian officials. The first batch of 12 GMLRS missiles is scheduled to be tested in late 2025, and the country expects to produce thousands of munitions annually by 2030.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: February 24, 2024
2024-02-25
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent] 22:24 In more than 400 cities around the world, Ukrainians are holding actions on the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. Local residents join them. A selection of photos from rallies of solidarity with Ukraine is published on social networks.

21:45 Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico said that Russia’s war against Ukraine began “with the revelry of Ukrainian neo-Nazis,” and Ukraine’s possible membership in NATO will be “the basis for the beginning of the Third World War.”

21:29 Zelensky said that Ukraine will not use weapons of partners on the territories of other states - only on Ukrainian temporarily occupied lands.

20:37 Zelensky said that he met in Kiev with Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson, discussed the possibility of joint production of weapons and upcoming bilateral negotiations on signing an agreement on security guarantees.

20:04 The Russian Army shelled Belozerka, Kherson region - one person was killed, five were wounded, said the head of the OVA Alexander Prokudin.

19:06 The Russians shelled Gulyaypole, Zaporozhye region - one person was killed, two were wounded, said the head of the OVA Ivan Fedorov.

18:52 By the end of March, the EU will supply up to 170 thousand artillery shells to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said following a conversation with the High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell.

16:59 Ukraine has signed bilateral security agreements with Italy and Canada, Zelensky said following a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

13:31 Ten Russians were killed in the downed A-50 plane, Ukrainskaya Pravda reports, citing sources in the Main Intelligence Directorate. Among them are five majors, three captains, an ensign and a lieutenant.

12:24 Zelensky addressed Ukrainians on the occasion of the second anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion:

11:15 Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that he had arrived in Ukraine.

10:57 Australia has introduced additional financial sanctions and visa bans against 55 citizens and 37 organizations associated with Russian aggression.

09:16 The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reported that a Russian A-50U aircraft was shot down near the city of Primorsko-Akhtarsk on the Sea of ​​Azov. The A50U made its last takeoff on February 23 at 15:50 from the Akhtubinsk airfield and was supposed to perform tasks near the settlements of Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Zernograd. An abrupt cessation of operation of the Shmel radar complex, which is equipped with the A-50U, was recorded by the electronic intelligence stations of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine at 18:45.

The defeat of the aircraft is also confirmed by radio interception of a conversation between the Su-35 cover crew. An additional sign of a successful operation is the order to stop missions for two Su-35 aircraft, as well as three Su-34 of the Russian Aerospace Forces, performing missions near Millerovo - some of them planned to carry out air strikes near Avdeevka.

09:11 Great Britain will strengthen Ukraine’s artillery reserves with a package of ammunition worth 245 million pounds (about 287 million euros). London will use the funds next year to purchase and boost supply chains for the production of artillery ammunition for the Defense Forces, the British government said.

09:04 The attack on the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant was organized by the SBU and the Main Intelligence Directorate, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing sources. The drones hit installations designed for the primary cooling of raw coke oven gas. The defeat of these facilities, according to sources, will lead to a shutdown of the entire production process of the metallurgical plant for a long time.

Novolipetsk Iron and Steel Works is one of the largest metallurgical plants in the Russian Federation. He works for the military-industrial complex and carries out a large number of government contracts. Raw materials from this enterprise are used to manufacture Russian missiles, artillery, drones, etc. The owner of the plant is Russian oligarch Vladimir Lisin, close to Putin.

08:42 Over the past 24 hours, 84 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report. In particular, in the Maryinsky direction, the enemy tried 44 times to break through the defenses of Ukrainian troops in the Georgievka, Pobeda and Novomikhailovka areas of the Donetsk region. In the Avdeevsky direction, the Defense Forces repelled nine enemy attacks in the Lastochkino, Severny and Pervomaisky districts of the Donetsk region.

In the Kupyansky direction, two attacks were repelled in the Sinkovka area of ​​the Kharkov region; on Limansky - two attacks in the Ternov area of ​​the Donetsk region; on Bakhmutskoye - nine attacks in the Bogdanovka and Ivanovskoye districts of the Donetsk region; in Zaporozhye - eight attacks near Rabotino. In the Kherson direction, the Defense Forces hold their positions and repulse eight assaults on the left bank of the Dnieper.

08:27 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of February 24:

  • personnel - about 409,010 (+770) people,

  • tanks - 6534 (+8),

  • armored combat vehicles - 12,425 (+15),

  • artillery systems - 9952 (+36),

  • MLRS - 999 (+0),

  • air defense systems - 684 (+2),

  • aircraft - 340 (+1),

  • helicopters - 325 (+0),

  • UAV of operational-tactical level - 7659 (+31),

  • cruise missiles - 1905 (+2),

  • ships/boats - 25 (+0),

  • submarines - 1 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tank trucks - 12,988 (+28),

  • special equipment - 1576 (+1).

08:19 President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced that she had arrived in Kyiv. The media also write that the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Belgium came to Ukraine.

07:50 In the Kropyvnytskyi district of the Kirovograd region, during a night attack as a result of falling debris on the territory of one of the enterprises, the administrative building was damaged, a utility building was destroyed, there were no casualties, said the head of the OVA Andrei Raikovich.

07:36 Air defense at night destroyed all 12 Shahed attack drones, which Russia attacked from Primorsko-Akhtarsk and from the Crimean Cape Chauda, ​​as well as two of the three X-59 guided aircraft missiles (Kherson region). Missiles and drones were destroyed within the Kirovograd, Odessa and Nikolaev regions, the Air Force command reported. In addition, at night the Russians attacked with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles from the Rostov region.

02:47 A fire occurred at a metallurgical plant in Lipetsk, Russia, social networks report. Local residents write that they heard the sound of drones and several explosions. Subsequently, a strong fire broke out at the Novolipetsk Iron and Steel Works, which produces polymer-coated steel. According to local residents, the coke plant is on fire. Governor Igor Artamonov confirmed the fire in one of the plant’s workshops, noting that, according to preliminary data, it was caused by an “aircraft crash.” According to him, there were no injuries, and the fire had already been extinguished.

01:24 As a result of the evening attack on Odessa, one person was killed and four were wounded, said Oleg Kiper, head of the OVA.

00:35 The Permanent Mission of Iran to the UN called reports of sending Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia “unfounded”. "Although there are no current international restrictions or bans on the sale of ballistic missiles, Iran considers itself morally obligated to refrain from arms transactions during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine," the statement said. The Iranian mission to the UN added that it made this decision so as not to “contribute to the continuation of the war.”

00:18 Syrsky said that, together with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, he had a telephone conversation with the Supreme Commander of NATO Allied Armed Forces in Europe, Commander of the US Armed Forces in Europe, Christopher Cavoli. We discussed the situation at the front and the priority needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, strengthening air defense.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: February 20, 2024
2024-02-21
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent] 22:45 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that in 2023, almost 540 thousand people allegedly entered contract service in the Russian armed forces, and since the beginning of 2024, 50 thousand people have been recruited.

22:16 In Ukraine, 18 criminal proceedings are being investigated regarding the murder of 38 prisoners of war by Russians, said Prosecutor General Andrei Kostin.

22:04 Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that together with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky, he had a telephone conversation with Pentagon head Lloyd Austin. They discussed a “general understanding of the situation and an action plan,” as well as issues of ammunition supplies, the urgent needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and long-term planning in the Ramstein format.

22:00 Zelensky will take part in the online summit of the G7 countries, which will take place on February 24 and will be dedicated to the second anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion, the G7 press service reported. The video conference will be chaired by Italian Prime Minister George Maloney. Based on the results of the summit, it is planned to adopt a general declaration.

21:49 A Russian kamikaze drone hit a civilian car in the village of Petropavlovka, Kupyansky district, Kharkov region - two people were killed, one was injured, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. All three are local farm workers.

21:45 The Russians struck Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region - they hit an industrial zone and residential buildings, three wounded and numerous damaged high-rise buildings are known, said the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin.

21:31 The death of Navalny and the departure of the Ukrainian army from Avdiivka, which lacked American ammunition due to the inaction of Congress, cast a dark shadow over the leaders of the Munich Security Conference. Trump's possible rise to power in the United States is causing even greater fear in Europe. As a result, European leaders began to consider options for the existence of the Alliance without the participation of the United States, but it turns out that there are a number of problems here. Read more in the article Will Europe be able to cope with Russia ?

21:10 Russian public pages write about the Ukrainian attack on the Russian military training ground in the occupied Trudovsky Donetsk region. According to them, allegedly as a result of three HIMARS strikes, 65 people were killed, the number of wounded is being clarified.

20:46 Ukraine held regular rounds of negotiations on concluding a bilateral security agreement with Canada and Italy, the Presidential Office reported.

20:28 Some units at the front are already testing pilot projects of drones with artificial intelligence, said Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Vadim Sukharevsky. At the same time, he added that “this is a very complex process in terms of organizing and implementing the use of these drones at the front; there are nuances.”

20:07 The mobilization bill was adopted in the first reading on February 7, but its consideration in the second reading has been postponed. More than 1,300 amendments have already been submitted to the document, and this number may increase further. About when they will vote for a high-profile bill, see the article Boom of Edits .

19:29 Ukraine is close to signing agreements on security guarantees with the Netherlands and Denmark, said the head of the OP Andriy Ermak.

19:25 The bilateral security agreement between Ukraine and the United States should give Kiev confidence until the country joins NATO, said American Ambassador Bridget Brink: “This will be a document that will provide you with assurances that the United States will give you defense support in "This interim period. The United States will support Ukraine if it is attacked or if the war stops and then starts again."

19:01 If Ukraine does not receive an invitation to join the Alliance at the NATO summit in Washington, this will lead to an escalation of the war, said the head of the Presidential Office Andrei Yermak: “We always ask the question - what additional escalation is implied. We believe, on the contrary, that failure to provide "An invitation to Ukraine in Washington will be a new escalation. Russia will use this signal that it has the right of veto. This will cause escalation not only on the European continent, but also on other continents. We see that Russia is behind many conflicts and wars today."

18:56 Washington announced a package of sanctions against the Russian Federation due to the death of Navalny. According to White House spokesman John Kirby, the sanctions package will be announced on February 23.

18:22 Putin said that Russia has never been against negotiations - “we are always for negotiations, this also applies to Ukraine.”

18:13 After the Ukrainian military left Avdiivka, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are under pressure at several other points along the entire front line. In particular, the Russian army is trying to advance in the Zaporozhye direction. Read more about the situation in Zaporozhye in the material What the enemy is up to .

18:00 Ukraine returned 11 children aged from two to 16 years from Russia and the occupied territories, the Presidential Office reported. The return took place with the assistance of Qatar.

17:51 Russian spies have returned to Europe and become “more dangerous than ever,” writes The Economist. According to the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Russian intelligence services have learned the lessons of the last two years, when they were massively exposed in the European Union and many special operations failed, and are now “entering a new phase of political war against the West.”

Russian agents create armies of bots on social networks, fake websites, carry out cyber attacks, conduct information campaigns against European authorities, establish channels for supplying equipment to Russian arms manufacturers, introduce their agents into a variety of institutions, undermine European support for Ukraine and destroy NATO from the inside, the publication writes. Europeans fear that many Russians who escaped mobilization may be agents. Some of them may be recruited through threats against their relatives in the Russian Federation.

17:25 The Russians in the Avdeevsky direction have enough forces and means to advance further, said deputy commander of the 3rd Special Brigade Maxim Zhorin. According to him, now the Third Assault, together with other units, has occupied certain defense lines around Avdeevka. The intensity of the fighting is high, but not as much as it was in the city. The main direction for the enemy today is Lastochkino.

16:57 The prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the shooting of three Ukrainian defenders by the Russian military near Rabotino, Zaporozhye region.

16:49 The British research organization Conflict Armament Research discovered hundreds of components produced by European and American companies in the North Korean ballistic missile that Russia used to strike Ukraine. The analysts' findings are the first public confirmation that North Korea is relying on foreign technology to develop its missile program, CNN writes.

16:06 The Russians attacked Nikopol and the Krasnogrigoryevsk community of the Dnepropetrovsk region - three people were wounded, said the head of the OVA Sergei Lysak.

15:50 The Russians again shot captured Ukrainian soldiers, this time near Rabotino, Zaporozhye region, DeepState reports. The invaders attacked the village from the south and captured part of a large stronghold, where three soldiers of the 3rd Spartan Brigade remained.

15:34 The European Union has allocated 83 million euros for humanitarian assistance to people affected by the war. Of these, 75 million euros are provided for Ukraine, the European Commission said.

15:12 Japan provided Ukraine with a grant of $100 million as part of the emergency recovery program, the Ministry of Infrastructure reports. The funds will be used, in particular, for energy services, transport links, and equipment for humanitarian demining.

14:07 The “DPR” announced another attack on the center of Donetsk, as a result of which the central library was allegedly damaged. Meanwhile, local public pages write that the building of the “DPR government” is on fire.

14:03 As a result of a night Russian strike on the Novoslobodsk community of the Konotop district of the Sumy region, a family was killed: a mother and her two sons, as well as two distant relatives, OVA reported. A Lancent-type attack UAV hit a residential building.

13:48 Both in the Zaporozhye direction and in the Donetsk region, the Russians resumed the use of toxic substances: a total of four grenades with a tear-suffocating chemical were dropped, Commander Tarnavsky said. In the Avdeevsky direction, the enemy is again trying to advance in small assault groups. The situation remains under control, Ukrainian forces are holding the line, the commander assured.

12:59 The leader of the "DPR" Denis Pushilin announced the shelling of the Kiev region of Donetsk - allegedly one person was killed, five more were injured.

12:16 Lukashenko said that Polish and American intelligence are allegedly preparing a provocation against the civilian population of Poland, for which Russia and Belarus will be blamed.

11:47 In Germany, the ruling coalition has prepared a secret proposal to supply Ukraine with ammunition, vehicles and weapons systems. Among other things, the document proposes to transfer to Kyiv “additional long-range weapons systems and ammunition necessary to enable Ukraine to carry out targeted attacks on strategically important targets far behind the Russian aggressor’s lines,” DPA reports. This description fits Taurus missiles, capable of hitting targets at a distance of more than 500 km. However, their name is not directly indicated in the document. The Bundestag is planning to vote on this aid package this week.

11:42 Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets said that he sent letters to the ICRC and the UN to document a war crime by the Russian Federation during the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Avdiivka. According to him, due to the complete encirclement of the Zenit stronghold, the command decided to contact the coordination center and organizations negotiating with the Russian side. The Russians assured the coordinators that they agreed to evacuate the wounded Ukrainian defenders and provide assistance to them, and then exchange them. However, the Ukrainians were shot.

Lubinets emphasized that this is not the first time Russia has grossly violated the norms of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions by killing prisoners of war.

11:11 After a series of cases of destruction of Russian aircraft by the Defense Forces, there is a significant decrease in the activity of enemy aviation, said Yuri Ignat, spokesman for the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to him, the Russians understand that they can already be caught, and “they no longer behave so brazenly.”

10:45 Sweden announced a new largest package of military assistance for Ukraine worth about 630 million euros. Defense Minister Paul Johnson said the 15th aid package is seen as an important signal to Kyiv on the eve of the anniversary of the start of the war that Swedish support will continue, and also as a signal to Russia that Sweden will not let Ukraine down.

The package will include ten combat boats and 20 group boats, as well as underwater weapons. The package also includes artillery ammunition, the Robot 70 air defense system, anti-tank missiles, Carl Gustaf grenade launchers and soldier equipment.

10:26 Bulgaria is delaying the promised delivery of 100 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, writes Euroactiv. The decision in parliament was made more than three months ago, and the countries signed a supply agreement. But the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense turned to NATO with a request to cover transport costs, since “this is not an elementary transport operation; quite a lot of trains need to be involved.” The ruling party criticizes the country's Ministry of Defense for its slowness.

09:54 In the Kharkov region over the previous 24 hours, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was injured in Kupyansk, another in the village. Olkhovatka, Kupyansky district. As a result of the shelling in the village. Olkhovatka substation was damaged, there is no power supply in the village. The enemy also fired artillery fire at Volchansk, Chuguevsky district - an enterprise was damaged and two civilian employees were injured, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA.

09:18 In the Zaporozhye region, as a result of yesterday’s Russian strike on Primorsky and Lesnoy, two people were killed, said the head of the OVA Ivan Fedorov.

09:12 At night, the Russians attacked the Novoslobodsk community of the Konotop district of the Sumy region. As a result of the shelling, a fire occurred in a residential building and the bodies of two dead were discovered. Removal of the rubble and search work continue, the OVA reported.

08:47 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of February 20:

  • personnel - about 404,950 (+1230) people,

  • tanks - 6503 (+5),

  • armored combat vehicles - 12,268 (+36),

  • artillery systems - 9773 (+40),

  • MLRS - 988 (+2),

  • air defense systems - 675 (+1),

  • aircraft - 338 (+2),

  • helicopters - 325 (+0),

  • UAV of operational-tactical level - 7521 (+61),

  • cruise missiles - 1902 (+3),

  • ships/boats - 25 (+0),

  • submarines - 1 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tank trucks - 12,805 (+38),

  • special equipment - 1551 (+6).

08:25 At night, Russian drones attacked the Poltava region. A fire broke out at an industrial facility in the Kremenchug region; it has already been extinguished. No people were injured, said the head of the OVA, Philip Pronin.

08:19 Over the past 24 hours, 81 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report . In the Avdeevsky direction, the Defense Forces repelled nine enemy attacks near Lastochkino, Severny, Pervomaisky and Nevelsky, Donetsk region. In the Maryinsky direction, 21 attacks were repelled (near Georgievka, Pobeda, Novomikhailovka, Donetsk region), in Bakhmutsky - 14 attacks in the Bogdanovka, Ivanovsky, Kleshcheevka and Andreevka areas of the Donetsk region.

In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy made four unsuccessful attempts to attack in the Sinkovka area of ​​the Kharkov region; in Limansky attacked Ukrainian units six times in the Ternov district of the Donetsk region and Belogorivka of the Lugansk region; on Novopavlovsky, he once tried to advance in the Staromayorsky area of ​​the Donetsk region; and also made five unsuccessful assaults in the Kherson direction. In the Zaporozhye direction, the Defense Forces repelled 11 attacks near Malinovka and Rabotino, Zaporozhye region.

07:48 Air defense at night destroyed all 23 Shahed-type attack drones that Russia attacked from Primorsko-Akhtarsk, the Air Force command reported. In addition, the enemy used two S-300/S-400 missiles (from the Belgorod region) and a Kh-31 guided aircraft missile (Zaporozhye region). The drones were shot down within the Kharkov, Poltava, Kirovograd, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Kherson and Nikolaev regions.

01:50 Russia is massively building up its forces in the Zaporozhye region, CNN reports citing Ukrainian and Russian sources. According to some analysts, the Russians have assembled a 50,000-strong army there.

01:21 The Netherlands, which joined the drone coalition last week, has already begun to transfer UAVs to Ukraine, Defense Minister Kaisa Ollongren said. “I can’t give an exact number, but we are already transferring drones to Ukraine. The drone coalition is very important because now we will join forces, which means that we will be able to increase the number of drones in accordance with the needs of Ukraine,” she added.

00:36 On February 20, Sweden will announce the provision of the largest military aid package of all time to Ukraine - worth $700 million, the Swedish publication Dagens Nyheter reported.

00:13 Canada will transfer to Ukraine more than 800 multi-purpose SkyRanger R70 drones worth about $70 million, Defense Minister Bill Blair said.

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: November 4th, 2023
2023-11-05
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 23:24 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a strike with 15 cruise missiles at the shipbuilding plant named after. Butoms in Kerch, 13 of them were allegedly shot down by air defense systems. As a result of being hit by a cruise missile, “a ship located at the plant was damaged.”

23:05 The Department of Strategic Communications of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that on November 3, in the Zaporozhye direction, the Russian army launched strikes on 26 settlements in the Zaporozhye, Pologovsky and Vasilievsky districts of the Zaporozhye region. In particular, the enemy hit the personnel of the 128th separate mountain assault brigade with an Iskander-M missile, “as a result of which the military personnel were killed, and local residents were also injured of varying degrees of severity.”

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that he had instructed the Main Inspectorate of the Ministry of Defense to conduct a full investigation into the tragedy.

23:02 One of those wounded as a result of the Russian strike on the Korabelny district of Kherson died in the hospital, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin.

22:49 Russia launched a missile attack on Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers in one of the front-line villages in the Zaporozhye region. They could be gathered in one place for awards on the Day of Missile Forces and Artillery. More than 20 military personnel were killed.

22:35 Commander of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Nikolai Oleshchuk expressed hope that “another watercraft has followed Moscow,” and also thanked the tactical aviation pilots “for successful cruise missile attacks on the infrastructure of the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch, where one of the most modern ships was stationed The Russian Federation is the carrier of Caliber cruise missiles." “Well done, it’s like we walked through SCALP!” - wrote Oleschuk.

Meanwhile, social networks report that at least three strikes were carried out on the small missile ship Askold , the construction of which was being completed at the Zaliv plant. It was launched only in 2021. This ship was supposed to be armed with eight Caliber or Onyx missiles, as well as its own air defense system - the Pantsir-M air defense system and the Orlan-10 UAV complex for reconnaissance.

21:02 As a result of the Russian strike on the Mirgorod district of the Poltava region, at least nine private buildings were damaged, said the head of the OBA, Philip Pronin. Three people were injured, including two children. Specialists from the State Environmental Inspectorate have been involved in the work and will document the damage.

20:39 The Department of Strategic Communications of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed a strike on the sea and port infrastructure of the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch.

19:50 The Air Force command clarified that in the evening the enemy attacked the Dnepropetrovsk and Poltava regions with cruise and ballistic missiles - they managed to destroy three Iskander-K cruise missiles.

19:47 Air defense forces shot down three missiles over the Dnieper region, said the head of the Dnepropetrovsk OVA, Sergei Lysak.

19:41 The Russian army struck the central part of Kherson, a shell hit near a grocery store. According to preliminary information, one person was killed and one was injured, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin.

19:36 The Russians attacked the Poltava region - according to preliminary information, rocket debris damaged several residential buildings in the Mirgorod region. It is known that there are victims, including two children. One person died, said the head of the OVA, Philip Pronin.

18:00 The Russians attacked an infrastructure facility in the Dnieper community, initially without casualties, said the head of the Dnepropetrovsk OVA, Sergei Lysak. The air force had previously warned of the threat of the use of ballistic missiles.

17:54 In the Yagodnoye - Kupyansk-Uzlovoy section, the Russian army suffered significant losses, stopped active operations and is now regrouping, said the commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Alexander Syrsky. According to him, with the forces of the 6th combined arms and 1st tank armies, the enemy continues to conduct offensive operations in the area of ​​the Kupyansky forest, Pervomaisky and Orlyansky. He is increasing his efforts to capture dominant heights, capture Sinkovka and create favorable conditions for the capture of Kupyansk.

“The defense forces carry out their tasks professionally: over the last week in the Kupyansky direction, the occupiers’ losses in personnel reached 583 people, of which 220 were killed, 358 were wounded, five enemy servicemen were captured,” Syrsky added.

17:51 During the day, the Russians continued to shell the Kherson region, OVA reports. Thus, as a result of an attack on the Korabelny district of Kherson, three people were injured; in Berislav, Kachkarovka and Zmievka - one each. Over the past 24 hours, five people were injured as a result of Russian shelling in the region.

17:28 Crimean publics report explosions, the “head” of the occupied peninsula Sergei Aksenov said that in the area of ​​the shipbuilding plant named after. Butoma in Kerch allegedly carried out air defense operations, some of the debris from the downed missiles fell onto the territory of one of the dry docks, but there were no casualties.

16:51 Ursula von der Leyen, during her speech in the Verkhovna Rada, said that next week the EU will announce a new 12th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation and “will impose sanctions until peace comes.” The President of the European Commission also expressed confidence that Ukraine “can achieve its ambitious goals and open the process of negotiations on accession to the EU this year.”

She also recalled that the EU is preparing a plan to provide Ukraine with 50 billion euros. “This is more than any country received after the Marshall Plan... An important task is to use this money as efficiently as possible. Therefore, we together developed a reform plan,” added the EC President.

16:26 Zelensky said that Ukraine “does not ask for any concessions” on its way to the European Union: “We have implemented the recommendations necessary to begin negotiations on membership. But Ukraine does not stop in transforming its institutions. Reforms will continue. Ukraine will be as ready as possible and to the start of accession negotiations with the European Union, and subsequently to full membership of the EU."

16:01 According to British intelligence estimates, during the assault on Avdievka, Russia lost about 200 armored vehicles. According to analysts, the Russian army suffered such losses due to the effectiveness of modern Ukrainian hand-held anti-tank weapons, mines, drones, and high-precision artillery systems. Intelligence notes that after this, Russian troops began using motorized infantry for attacks.

15:17 Zelensky said that he does not consider the situation at the front to be a stalemate, and Ukraine will not negotiate with Russia. According to him, to improve the situation at the front, F-16s are needed: “We must wait for the guys to learn, for when they return. When there is air defense at the front, the military goes forward and uses equipment.”

"Today time has passed - people are tired. Everyone is tired. But this is not a stalemate. Russia controls the sky. When we don’t control the sky, no one wants to just abandon them, like Russia abandons its people like meat. There are quick solutions. And they are not what “It’s space, technology, air defense,” the president said. He also expressed the belief that if Ukraine, hypothetically, gives up a third of its territories to Russia, the war will not end.

In addition, Zelensky said that no one insists on negotiations with Russia, much less on giving something to Russia. “I don’t know who publishes this. I don’t know why this is being done. I, as the person who bears this responsibility, will answer you very frankly: my attitude coincides with the attitude of Ukrainian society, and no one is putting pressure on me today,” - the head of state commented on foreign media publications about alleged discussions of peace negotiations with the Russian Federation.

12:29 Sweden transferred eight Archer self-propelled artillery systems to Ukraine, Defense Minister Paul Johnson said.

11:55 In Russia, unsuccessful tests of Yars and Bulava missiles, which are carriers of nuclear weapons, took place. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, on November 1, the Russian Federation launched an RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk cosmodrome (Arkhangelsk region) at a target at the Kura training ground (Kamchatka). The missile went off course, as it did during the October 25 exercise. The test launch of the RSM-56 Bulava ballistic missile from the submarine missile cruiser Borey also ended unsuccessfully on October 25.

In addition, Moscow is experiencing serious problems with the heavy silo-based RS-28 Sarmat ICBM - this is one of the key projects in the process of modernizing its strategic nuclear forces announced by the Russian Federation. The Sarmat missile has been in production in Russia since 2009 and was supposed to be put into service back in 2018, but the date was constantly postponed. As a result, the Sarmat was adopted only in September 2023 - after the first and only full test in April of this year. The Main Intelligence Directorate claims that, in fact, Sarmat is “an unfinished, imperfect, crude rocket.”

11:16 Ursula von der Leyen was met at the station in Kiev by Zelensky. “I am here to discuss Ukraine’s path to joining the EU. EU financial support for the restoration of Ukraine as a modern, prosperous democracy. And how we will continue to make Russia pay for its war of conquest,” the President of the European Commission wrote and published a joint photo.

09:08 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that Russian troops are preparing for a third series of major assaults near Avdiivka. Now they are conducting a tactical regrouping, after which they plan to storm the coke plant.

09:00 President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has arrived in Kiev and is expected to speak in the Verkhovna Rada, People's Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak said.

08:57 The head of the Zaporizhzhya Regional Police Department, Yuriy Malashko, clarified that as a result of yesterday’s Russian attack on Zarechny, nine people were injured.

08:53 NBC News claims, citing sources, that the United States and European officials are discussing the topic of peace negotiations with Kiev. Discussions are taking place behind the scenes, but may accelerate sharply at the beginning of 2024, the publication’s sources predict. A separate round of negotiations between the United States and Ukraine on this topic took place in October during the Ramstein meeting, where Zelensky and Ermak attended.

Consultations with Kiev "began amid concerns among American and European officials that the war has reached a stalemate and that they will not be able to continue providing assistance to Ukraine," NBC News notes.

08:42 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of November 4:

  • personnel - about 304,100 (+830) people,

  • tanks - 5276 (+11),

  • armored combat vehicles - 9939 (+38),

  • artillery systems - 7363 (+35),

  • MLRS - 861 (+7),

  • air defense systems - 568 (+2),

  • aircraft - 322 (+0),

  • helicopters - 324 (+0),

  • UAV of operational-tactical level - 5534 (+39),

  • cruise missiles - 1551 (+0),

  • ships/boats - 20 (+0),

  • submarines - 1 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tank trucks - 9716 (+25),

  • special equipment - 1038 (+4).

08:23 At night, the Russians attacked the Sumy region with two attack UAVs Shahed-136/131 from the Kursk region - both drones were destroyed, the Air Force command reported.

07:25 Over the past 24 hours, 66 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report . In the Kupyansk direction, the Defense Forces repelled enemy attacks near Sinkovka, Ivanovka, Kharkov region and Stelmakhovka, Lugansk region; on Limansky - in the Verkhnekamensky district of the Donetsk region; on Bakhmutsky - in the districts of Kleshcheevka, Bogdanovka and Khromovo, Donetsk region; on Avdeevsky - in the Stepnoy, Tonenky, Avdeevka, Severny, Pervomaisky districts of the Donetsk region; on Maryinsky - in the area of ​​​​Marinka and Novomikhailovka, Donetsk region; on Shakhtarsky - near Staromayorsky, Donetsk region; on Zaporozhye - not far from Rabotino, Zaporozhye region.

At the same time, the Defense Forces continue their offensive in the Melitopol direction and assault operations south of Bakhmut, Donetsk region.

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: October 6th, 2023
2023-10-07
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 20:29 In Belarus, representatives of Zimbabwe, India, Qatar, China, Cuba, Mongolia, UAE, Russia, Syria and Palestine met with 44 deported Ukrainian children from Lisichansk and Severodonetsk, said lawyer of the Regional Center for Human Rights Ekaterina Rashevskaya.

According to her, the first secretary of the Russian Embassy in Belarus, Karina Bagieva, confirmed that Russian citizenship is being imposed on Ukrainian children and education is being organized for them, which does not allow them to preserve their national identity. Bagieva also noted that the Naftan oil refinery was involved in the removal of children.

Qatar's charge d'affaires Abdulaiz al Kuwari noted at the meeting that Belarusian families are taking in Ukrainian children and expressed hope that "even more children will be able to leave Donbass."

20:25 The Russian Cabinet of Ministers approved a temporary procedure for the entry of Ukrainian citizens into the Russian Federation, according to which, from October 16, they will be able to enter Russia only through the Ludonka automobile checkpoint in the Pskov region and through Sheremetyevo. The new entry procedure does not apply to children under 14 years of age traveling from third countries alone or accompanied by Russians. The procedure for entry into the Russian Federation for Ukrainian citizens located in Russian-occupied territories remains unchanged.

20:16 Zelensky said that he held a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The main issues are the situation at the front and preparations for winter. The President is confident that attacks on energy facilities will continue this winter: “This winter, Russian terrorists will again try to destroy our energy system. They are not able to accept the fact that Ukraine will not be conquered anyway. But they will try to make more strikes and more attempts to bypass our defenses. We are fully aware of the danger."

According to Zelensky, today at Headquarters there were reports from the military and all officials responsible for energy protection and winter tactics. He especially emphasized that not only the military, but also local authorities must do their part of the preparatory work.

20:05 Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many reports have appeared in the media about foreign mercenaries in the Russian army. The Russians are trying to find people all over the world who want to fight in Ukraine for money. It turns out with occasional success. For example, the recruitment of Serbs caused a wide resonance. Read more in the article Let's go around the world .

19:44 “Governor” of the occupied Zaporozhye region Yevgeny Balitsky said that local residents who have not received a Russian passport will no longer receive medical care from 2024.

19:39 The Netherlands is allocating 102 million euros in aid to Ukraine, the country's government reported. The money is intended, in particular, to support Dutch companies that will invest in the restoration of Ukraine, as well as for the purchase of gas, parts for electrical networks, etc. In general, the Netherlands has reserved 2.5 billion euros for Ukraine for 2023.

19:35 Yesterday, the Russians killed 52 residents of the village of Groza, Kupyansky district, Kharkov region, with an Iskander missile. Last year Groza was under occupation. According to the prosecutor's office, about a hundred people currently lived in the village. Most local residents lost several loved ones at once. Only local resident Valery Kozyr lost his daughter, son-in-law, matchmakers and godfathers yesterday. For more details, see the article Entire families died .

19:27 The United States imposed sanctions against 49 companies from China, India, Turkey, Estonia, Germany and several other countries for supporting the Russian military industry. Of the 49 companies, 42 are in China, the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security reported. All of them supplied Russia with “integrated circuits of American origin.”

18:52 The Russians attacked Nikopol, Dnepropetrovsk region, with four kamikaze drones and artillery, one person was wounded, said the head of the OVA Sergei Lysak. An administrative building, an infrastructure facility and a hotel were damaged, as well as two private houses, cars and a power line.

18:49 North Korea has begun supplying Russia with artillery for the war against Ukraine, CBS News reports, citing an American official. However, he said, it is not yet clear whether this transfer is part of a new long-term supply chain or a more limited batch. It is also unclear what North Korea gets in return.

18:33 Search and rescue operations have been completed in Kharkov after a morning missile strike, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported. As a result of the strike, two people were killed, one of whom was a child, and 30 people were injured, 12 of whom were hospitalized.

17:57 At the site of the missile attack on the village. Search and rescue operations have been completed in the Kharkiv region , said the head of the Police Investigation Department, Sergei Bolvinov. According to him, 51 people were confirmed dead and six more were injured. In addition, four local residents were missing, including two children. It will be possible to tell whether they were victims of a Russian strike once the DNA analysis is completed. Eleven body fragments, including small ones, were sent for examination.

17:09 Russian public pages write that Russian air defense shot down its own plane near Mariupol, the pilot survived. This is already the fifth Russian aircraft shot down by its own air defense since the beginning of a full-scale war.

16:35 Patrol police showed the first minutes after today’s attack in Kharkov. This is video from the bodycams of police officers who were among the first to arrive at the scene of the attack.

15:57 In the morning, the Russians fired from the Tornado-S MLRS at the village of Shevchenkovo, Kupyansky district, Kharkov region, one person was wounded, the prosecutor’s office reported. Also in the morning, the enemy attacked the city of Volchansk, two people were injured.

15:36 The Russian ambassador was summoned to the Austrian Foreign Ministry due to a missile attack on the village of Groza, Kharkov region, the department reported. “Attacks against civilians are a war crime. Those responsible must be held accountable,” the Austrian Foreign Ministry emphasized.

15:17 The number of those wounded as a result of the morning attack on Kharkov has increased to 30 , two were killed, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov.

14:48 Zaluzhny said that together with the Chief of the General Staff Sergei Shaptala, they carried out work in groupings of troops performing tasks within the framework of defensive and offensive operations. “We analyzed possible threats from the enemy and determined our further actions, taking into account the constant change in the operational situation at the front,” said the commander-in-chief.

14:20 Thanks to Western missile and artillery systems, the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to create a long-range “fire fist”, because of which the Russian army cannot effectively conduct counter-battery combat, said Sergei Baranov, head of the Main Directorate of the Missile Forces and Artillery and Unmanned Systems of the General Staff.

13:59 Zelensky will visit Romania next week for the first time since the start of the war, local TV channel Digi24 reports, citing sources. The Ukrainian president will meet with his Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis, with whom they met yesterday in Granada, Spain. After this, Iohannis will visit Kyiv.

13:37 Peskov, commenting on the Russian strike on the village of Groza in the Kharkov region, said that Russia allegedly does not strike the civilian population, but “works on the accumulation of military and army leadership.”

13:28 The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that a group of UN experts went to the village of Groza in the Kharkov region, where more than 50 people were killed due to a Russian missile attack. They will talk to local residents and victims and collect more information about the shelling.

13:20 Ukraine has returned the bodies of another 64 dead soldiers, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported.

13:09 The United States has options for financing military assistance to Ukraine; they will not transfer money from other areas for now, First Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Gix said in an interview with Bloomberg. She clarified that the United States has options for extending assistance to Ukraine, even if Congress does not approve the latest proposal from the White House. According to Gicks, the Pentagon is not considering the possibility of “reprogramming” money allocated for other areas.

12:51 The Russians shelled Volchansk, Chuguevsky district, Kharkov region: a residential building with three apartments was destroyed, three people were wounded, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA.

12:37 The death toll as a result of the morning attack on Kharkov has increased to two, 29 people were injured , the prosecutor’s office reported. They clarified that rescuers found the body of another person under the rubble - the grandmother of a deceased ten-year-old boy and a wounded 11-month-old child. Rescue and search operations continue.

11:56 At night, for the second time in ten days, the Russians fired at civilian infrastructure on the border with Romania, namely the Orlovka ferry checkpoint, said the head of the Odessa OVA Oleg Kiper. Currently, the work of the checkpoint is suspended.

11:23 In the morning, the Russians fired at residential areas in the central part of Kherson, there was no information about casualties. Over the past 24 hours, two people were killed and four were injured as a result of enemy shelling in the region, the OVA reported.

10:51 During the Russian strike on Kharkov, there was no air raid signal because the missiles were flying along a ballistic trajectory, said Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat.

10:47 Sweden will provide Ukraine with a new package of military assistance worth $199 million, Defense Minister Paul Johnson said. The package will mainly include ammunition and spare parts for previously transferred equipment.

10:14 Scholz said that Germany has not yet made a decision on supplying Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine because it is trying to “prevent escalation.”

09:49 As a result of the morning strike on Kharkov, 23 people were injured, including an 11-month-old child, and a ten-year-old child was killed , said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. Work continues to clear the rubble. The enemy launched two missile strikes, first with Iskander missiles. One of the missiles hit the roadway, windows were broken in neighboring houses. The second rocket hit a three-story residential building, causing a fire.

According to updated data, in the village. Thunderstorm in the Kupyansky district as a result of yesterday's missile attack, 52 people were killed and six people were injured.

08:53 The Russians hit Kharkov in the morning, there is preliminary information about hits in the Kiev and Osnovyansky districts, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. According to preliminary information, a ten-year-old child died and 16 other people were injured , including an 11-month-old child. Rescuers continue to clear the rubble. The mayor of Kharkov, Igor Terekhov, clarified that the missile strikes were carried out exclusively on civilian infrastructure, in one case, on a residential building.

08:27 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of October 6:

  • personnel - about 281,090 (+620) people,

  • tanks - 4777 (+20),

  • armored combat vehicles - 9082 (+30),

  • artillery systems - 6666 (+23),

  • MLRS - 806 (+2),

  • air defense systems - 540 (+0),

  • aircraft - 315 (+0),

  • helicopters - 316 (+0),

  • UAV of operational-tactical level - 5158 (+29),

  • cruise missiles - 1530 (+0),

  • ships/boats - 20 (+0),

  • submarines - 1 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tank trucks - 9015 (+35),

  • special equipment - 951 (+3).

08:09 At night, air defense destroyed 25 of 33 Shahed attack drones , which Russia attacked from Cape Chauda (Crimea) in several groups in the direction of the southern, eastern and central regions of Ukraine, the Air Force command reported. UAVs were destroyed within the Odessa, Nikolaev, Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Cherkassy and Zhytomyr regions.

07:48 At night, the Russians attacked the border and port infrastructure of the Izmail district of the Odessa region with drones, said the head of the OBA Oleg Kiper. The granary was damaged and nine trucks caught fire. The fire was extinguished, no people were injured. The ferry crossing has been temporarily suspended.

07:36 Defense forces continue assault operations south of Bakhmut, and were successful east of Andreevka, Donetsk region, the General Staff reported in its morning report . At the same time, the enemy unsuccessfully tried to restore the lost position in the area east of Dilievka, Donetsk region.

Over the past 24 hours, 37 military clashes took place at the front. In the Liman direction, the Defense Forces repelled enemy attacks in the area east of Makeyevka, Lugansk region; on Avdeevsky and Maryinsky - in the areas of Avdeevka, Maryinka and Novomikhailovka of the Donetsk region; on Shakhtarsky - in the areas of the settlements Zolotaya Niva and Vodyanoye, Donetsk region; in Zaporozhye - in the area southeast of Rabotino, Zaporozhye region.

04:02 “Governor” of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev said that in the area of ​​the Northern Pier, anti-submarine and anti-sabotage crews of the Black Sea Fleet repelled an attack by two unmanned sea boats.

02:35 The Biden administration is considering using the US State Department grant program to provide additional military assistance to Ukraine, since there is still no decision on funding in Congress, Politico writes, citing two American officials.

Meanwhile, Pentagon Speaker Patrick Ryder said that the US Department of Defense intends to actively interact with Congress in order to quickly resume military support for Ukraine. He recalled that there is currently $5.4 billion left in the budget to support Ukraine, as well as about $1.6 billion to replenish Pentagon stocks used in aid packages to Ukraine.

00:52 NATO will provide Romania with more air defense systems to strengthen protection against attacks by Russian drones on the border with Ukraine, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said. According to him, additional air defense systems will be deployed in the region near the Ukrainian border on the Danube.

00:23 In Brussels on Tuesday, October 10, the next meeting of the contact group in the Ramstein format will be held, at which the issue of increasing military assistance to Ukraine will be considered. It will be attended by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and the new head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles Brown, the press service of the US Department of Defense reported. In addition, a meeting of NATO defense ministers will take place on October 12 at Alliance headquarters.

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: March 16th, 2023
2023-03-17
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 22:23 Negotiations on a possible conversation between Zelensky and Xi Jinping are ongoing - it is too early to say whether it will take place, Podolyak said.

21:34 Ukraine has been asking its Western allies for fighter jets for a long time. After his tour of European countries in February, Zelensky said that there was good news on fighter jets, but he didn’t want to “prepare the Russian Federation” yet. Only now no one has handed over the planes to us. However, it seems that Ukraine is already very close to this moment. More details - in the material Aircraft will be .

20:56 During 2022, several Chinese companies, including one associated with the Chinese authorities, sent a thousand assault rifles and other equipment that can be used for military purposes to Russian enterprises. In particular, we are talking about parts of drones and body armor, writes Politico with reference to customs data. Thus, in June 2022, one of the largest state defense contractors in China, China North Industries Group, sent CQ-A rifles to the Russian company Techkrim, which cooperates with the Russian Armed Forces.

19:41 The Russians fired on Konstantinovka, Donetsk region, six people were injured, among them a foreign volunteer, said the head of the OVA Pavel Kirilenko. The enemy hit the city twice this afternoon with Hurricanes with cluster munitions. At least 19 houses, a school and an enterprise were damaged to varying degrees.

19:28 Austria has joined the coalition of countries working on the creation of a special tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine, Kuleba said. It became the 33rd country to join the group.

19:11 The United States plans to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine in the coming days, said John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications at the White House National Security Council.

18:35 Sweden will give Ukraine eight wheeled 155-mm Archer howitzers, Defense Minister Paul Johnson said.

17:59 Zelensky reported on a "good conversation" with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak: "Informed about the situation at the front, the defense of Bakhmut. We exchanged views on recent international events. As always, there are concrete results in strengthening defense and economic support for Ukraine."

17:37 The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry into violations in Ukraine published a report on war crimes of the Russian military in Ukraine. Among the war crimes of the Russians are deliberate killings, torture, rape, deportation, attacks on energy infrastructure.

At the same time, the head of the commission, Eric Mjose, said that experts did not find evidence of genocide: "We did not find that there was a genocide in Ukraine ... There are some aspects that may raise questions about a possible genocide."

17:19 Russia is trying to find the wreckage of an American UAV. And in the USA they say that they removed the software and there is nothing of value in them anymore. For more details, see the article Why the Russian Federation is looking for a US drone .

17:08 Israel is limited in providing assistance to Ukraine due to agreements with Russia on Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "I must say quite frankly that we have a difficult situation in Israel." He recalled that a few years ago, Israel entered into an agreement with Russia to resist Iran's attempts to "open a third front" against the country from Syria.

At the same time, Netanyahu confirmed that Israel will help Ukraine create a high-tech civilian air threat warning system.

16:46 Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas announced the provision of a new package of military assistance to Ukraine. It will include, inter alia, 155 mm ammunition, vehicles and military rations. The total cost of military support will soon reach 450 million euros.

16:43 Russia is trying to negotiate military assistance with the countries of the Middle East and Africa, said the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Vadym Skibitsky: "Russia has begun to experience a shortage of ammunition, and we know for sure that they are actively working with Iran. Yes, indeed, negotiations are underway with Myanmar, the countries of the African continent, the Middle East. They have now sent their delegations to the Ministry of Defense, the Foreign Intelligence Service, other departments and ministries in order to get as much ammunition and other weapons for themselves as possible."

According to him, Iran remains the main military partner of the Russian Federation, which supplies it with ammunition and drones. The matter has not yet reached the delivery of ballistic missiles. In response, Iran expects new weapons, nuclear energy technologies and missile programs from Russia.

16:38 Kuleba said that he had a telephone conversation with State Counselor and Foreign Minister of China Qin Gan, "discussed the meaning of the principle of territorial integrity" and the Ukrainian formula for peace.

16:24 In the Mariupol region, in the village. Maloyanisol is on fire and detonates the composition of the occupiers, which they formed over the past weeks, Piotr Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, said.

16:02 AMX 10-RC wheeled tanks "just" arrived from France to Ukraine, Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu said and added that "some have already left for the front line."

15:51 Germany handed over to Ukraine another package of military assistance, which included, in particular, 5,000 155 mm artillery shells, MARS II multiple rocket launchers, 155 mm precision-guided munitions, etc., the German government said.

15:27 In the Shirokovskaya community of the Bashtansky district of the Nikolaev region in recent days, a milk truck and a GAZ truck were blown up on mines, reported in the State Emergency Service. Three people received minor injuries.

15:03 Kuleba said that he had discussed with Blinken the Ukrainian formula for peace and ways to speed up the delivery of artillery ammunition.

14:56 Estonia will give Ukraine another package of military assistance in the amount of 494 thousand euros, the country's Ministry of Defense announced. It will be aimed at equipping special forces and snipers. The package will include, inter alia, semi-automatic rifles, sniper rifles, optical sights, binoculars, ammunition, personal and special equipment, patrol boats and thermal imagers, as well as medical equipment.

14:21 Poland will hand over four MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine in the coming days , President Andrzej Duda said.

14:19 Estonia offers the European Union to develop a new package of anti-Russian sanctions, in which one of the main places is to reduce revenues through energy supplies, said Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu. In particular, according to him, Estonia proposes to significantly lower the price ceiling for crude oil and reduce Russia's ability to export its oil by sea. Estonia also intends to propose to the EU to ban the transit of sanctioned goods altogether in order to avoid sanctions evasion.

13:58 Speaker of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat told what missiles can and cannot be shot down by Ukrainian air defense. Can crash:

  • Caliber (3M14) - sea-based cruise missile (which the enemy attacks from the Black Sea),

  • X-101 / X-555 / X-55 - air-launched cruise missiles,

  • R-500 (9M728) - ground-based cruise missile from the Iskander-K complex (similar to Caliber),

  • X-59 - air-to-ground guided missile,

  • Kh-35 - air, sea or coastal anti-ship missile.

Missiles that Ukrainian air defense cannot shoot down:

  • 9M723 - ballistic missile Iskander-M,

  • 9M79M - Tochki-U missile,

  • MLRS missiles,

  • X-22 - supersonic long-range air-launched cruise anti-ship missile,

  • R-800 - coastal-based cruise missile Oniks,

  • Kh-47 - hypersonic aeroballistic missile Kinzhal,

  • Kh-31P - aviation anti-radar missile.

13:35 In Russian Rostov-on-Don, a large-scale fire broke out in the building of the border service of the FSB. The authorities of the Rostov region said that the cause of the fire in the "utility premises" of the FSB border guard was allegedly a wiring short circuit. However, local residents claim that an explosion was heard before the fire . Nearby residents were evacuated. One person died and two were injured in the fire, emergency services said.

13:19 Scholz said that he expects further steps from the EU summit next week on the supply of ammunition to Ukraine. According to him, Germany is ready "to open its procurement projects to other member states." The Chancellor also assured that Germany would continue to support Ukraine "politically, financially, humanitarianly and with weapons ... as long as necessary."

12:44 In the occupied Genichesk and the region, the Russian military are conducting round-ups and searches of local residents. People are being intimidated into getting Russian passports. Employees of the "migration services" take fingerprints, check phones and take pictures of local residents in full face, profile and full growth, said Vladislav Nazarov, a representative of OK Pivden.

In turn, Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said that the Russian occupiers continue to massively steal property from state institutions and enterprises and housing of the civilian population in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. So, last week in the settlements of Razdolnoye, Kalanchak, Novaya Zburyevka and Golaya Pristan of the Kherson region, under the pretext of allegedly carrying out anti-terrorist measures, the occupiers searched the houses of local residents, including those abandoned by the owners.

After such measures, Russian servicemen usually tried to purchase food and alcohol in local stores, offering sellers to pay with stolen small household appliances, dishes, laptops and smartphones. And more dimensional things - refrigerators, washing machines, TVs, etc. the occupiers were taken out by military trucks, which delivered ammunition.

12:39 The Pentagon gave reporters a video of an attack by a Russian Su-27 fighter on an MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone. It shows how the plane dumps fuel on the drone, after which the Reaper begins to have communication problems.

12:30 The Russian army has lost at least 15 T-90M main battle tanks in Ukraine, Andrei Rudyk, a representative of the Center for Research on Captured and Advanced Weapons and Military Equipment of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said. According to him, the "invincibility" and "perfection" of the T-90M turned out to be a myth.

12:21 The energy system of Ukraine is working stably, in sync with Europe, Ukrenergo reported. The power plants produce enough electricity to cover consumption, however, due to significant damage to networks by Russian shelling, restrictions are applied in the Zhytomyr, Kyiv regions and Kyiv.

11:49 In the Russian Khabarovsk, a military court sentenced the corporal of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Danil Frolkin, who previously confessed to the murder of a civilian in Ukraine and looting. He was sentenced to five and a half years in a penal colony on probation under an article about spreading "fakes" about the Russian army.

11:26 On the night of March 11, Ukrainian defenders shot down a modernized Chinese Mugin-5 drone in the Donetsk region from AK-47 assault rifles, CNN reports. Some tech bloggers are calling Mugin-5 the "Alibaba drone" because they can be bought for $15,000 on Chinese sites including Alibaba and Taobao. Mugin Limited confirmed to CNN that it was their drone, calling the incident "very sad". Experts believe that the drone has been upgraded - this is evidenced by a bomb trigger made from 3D printed components.

11:08 In the Czech Republic, the courts have already convicted nine people for approving Russian aggression against Ukraine, the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office said. Of the nine convictions, all but one ended with suspended sentences or fines. And one Czech activist convicted of posting hate speech against Ukrainians on social media received a nine-month prison sentence.

In addition, 58 individuals were charged with endorsing Russia's aggression, and criminal investigations were launched in 90 cases.

11:05 Russian media write about the mass distribution of subpoenas. According to Astra, residents of 33 regions of the Russian Federation have already received the summons.

11:02 Latvian Prime Minister Arturs Karins arrived in Kyiv on a visit. He stated that "Ukrainian victory is of decisive importance for a free Europe."
Many of the nations of the Former Soviet Union have built up three quarters of century worth of resentment for tyranny and misrule. Now Putin’s Russia is reaping the result, exacerbated by recent talk of reconquering former territories. All Russia had to do was not say it aloud, or make a few diplomatic gestures, and the countries of Russia’s European periphery would have stayed neutral.
10:59 The Russians have significantly increased the number of attacks on the Lugansk front, Sergei Gaidai said. At the same time, the Defense Forces have disrupted the logistics of the occupiers in recent days, and now they have problems with the delivery of ammunition to the positions. However, this is not an "artillery hunger," Gaidai specified.

He also stressed that the enemy was not successful in the Luhansk region, an attempt to break through in Belogorovka and in the Kremensk direction ended in losses for the Russians. Gaidai said that the Buryats, who had not been seen for a long time, had reappeared on the Lugansk front.

10:48 The speaker of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yuri Ignat, said in an interview with Channel 24 that government buildings could become priority targets for future Russian missile attacks: “They can fire at anything. Their priority targets are government buildings, buildings of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense. there are, as they call them there, "decision centers".

At the same time, he clarified that government buildings are located not only in Kyiv, and recalled the attacks on the Kharkiv and Nikolaev Regional State Administrations. In addition, according to Ignat, the goals of the Russian Federation remain energy and transport infrastructure, hydraulic structures, and treatment facilities. “Therefore, you can expect anything from them. You just need to be ready and destroy everything that flies at us. And people should adhere to safety recommendations,” Ignat emphasized.

10:36 France was accused of slowing down the EU plan to replenish ammunition stocks for Ukraine, writes The Telegraph. In particular, Paris requires that shells be produced within the European Union. Critics of the French demands warn that it could slow support for Ukraine, as manufacturing capacity could be readily available outside the EU. The final agreement should be signed in March at the summit in Brussels.

10:15 During the cleansing of positions in the Bakhmut region of the Donetsk region, where there were Russian soldiers, the fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine found a captured brother-in-law in the basement of one of the houses. It turned out to be a serviceman Alexei Gordeev. Alexei was wounded, and was in the basement with the bodies of his dead colleagues. The incredible story of the salvation of the Ukrainian defender - in the material 42 days without food .

09:54 British intelligence reports that over the past week, Russian attempts to storm Ugledar have almost certainly slowed down, and the only notable tactical success of the Russian Federation in recent times has been achieved in the Bakhmut sector. The RF slowdown in Ugledar comes after repeated, extremely costly failed attacks over the previous three months, according to analysts.

One of the factors that contributed to the heavy losses of the Russian Federation in this sector was the successful introduction by Ukraine of remote anti-tank mines RAAM - a special artillery projectile that scatters anti-tank mines at a distance of up to 17 km from a combat unit. Intelligence notes that in some cases, Ukraine has planted mines behind advancing Russian units, causing confusion as they attempted to retreat.

Analysts speculate that the RF Ministry of Defense was aggressively seeking to seize Vugledar in part because of competition with the achievements of PMC Wagner in the Bakhmut area.

09:48 In the Black Sea, atypical activity of Russians is recorded - the enemy has withdrawn 20 ships and many units of the auxiliary fleet, Natalya Gumenyuk, speaker of OK Pivden, said. Presumably, the ships are there to collect the remains of a downed American drone.

09:17 A year ago, Russia dropped a super-powerful bomb on the Drama Theater in the center of Mariupol, where hundreds of people were hiding. Near the building was the inscription "Children", which was impossible not to notice.

09:14 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed (in Bakhmut), 11 more people were injured. In the Kherson region, three people were injured per day, according to the OVA.

09:12 The Russian occupiers have officially admitted that they destroyed Popasnaya and do not plan to restore it, Luhansk OVA reports. In particular, the "LNR" put into effect "laws" "on the administrative-territorial structure" and "on the formation of urban and municipal districts on the territory of the "LNR". 11 urban and 17 municipal districts (districts) have been approved. Popasna is not on any of the lists.

08:50 The United States is rapidly preparing Ukraine for a spring counteroffensive, writes Politico. In particular, Defense Minister Lloyd Austin said after the Ramstein meeting that "Ukraine cannot waste time." The Americans expect the spring offensive to begin in May.

Kyiv has not yet decided on a strategy, officials say, but there are two options: move south through Kherson into Crimea, or move east from its northern position and then south, cutting off the Russian land corridor. According to US officials, the first option is not realistic, since Russia has dug in its defenses on the eastern bank of the Dnieper. The second option is more likely, officials say.

08:37 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of March 16.

  • personnel - about 162,560 (+1040) people liquidated,

  • tanks - 3504 (+12),

  • armored combat vehicles - 6810 (+11),

  • artillery systems - 2539 (+11),

  • MLRS - 503 (+1),

  • air defense systems - 265 (+3),

  • aircraft - 305 (+1),

  • helicopters - 289 (+0),

  • UAV operational-tactical level - 2145 (+13),

  • cruise missiles - 907 (+0),

  • ships/boats - 18 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tankers - 5394 (+17),

  • special equipment - 257 (+0).

08:16 The Russians are concentrating their main efforts on the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky, Maryinsky and Shakhtyorsky directions. Over the past day, the enemy launched more than 75 attacks in the indicated directions, the General Staff reported in the morning report .

06:24 The German concern Rheinmetall has already prepared the concept of a tank plant in Ukraine, it was submitted for consideration to the German government, said the general director of the concern Armin Papperger. He added that in order to start construction, the Ukrainian government also needs to make such a decision.

According to Papperger, the plant's capacity will not belong to Rheinmetall - the company will rent the premises. Also, the concern will not finance the construction - this should be done by Ukraine or another state that will provide assistance to Ukraine. Papperger added that construction could begin during the war or after it ends - the final word in this matter will be with Kiev.

05:22 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) notes that the pace of the Russian offensive has decreased compared to previous weeks, and now the Armed Forces of Ukraine have the opportunity to regain the initiative.

Analysts say the Russian offensive in the Luhansk region is approaching, if not already culminating, despite the fact that Moscow has deployed the majority of at least three divisions to the Svatovo-Kremennaya line. At the same time, over the past week, the Russians have achieved only minimal tactical success in the Lugansk region, while the Ukrainians managed to launch counterattacks and return some territories in the region.

ISW specialists also emphasize that in the past few days a noticeable decrease in the number of attacks in and around Bakhmut has been recorded. In their opinion, the Russian offensive on Bakhmut is approaching its culmination more and more.

02:30 Biden told Ursula von der Leyen that Washington does not want to further reduce the price ceiling for Russian oil - the G7 countries intend to maintain the upper price limit at $60 per barrel, writes The Wall Street Journal, citing sources. US Treasury officials said the price-cutting plan is achieving its goals: keeping Russian oil available on world markets and reducing the Kremlin's revenue from its sales.

02:07 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that Damascus recognizes the "new borders" of Russia with the annexed "LDNR", Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. According to him, "the clear and decisive position of Syria on this issue is based on historical facts."

01:46 Since May last year, in the battles for Bakhmut, the Russian regular army and PMC Wagner have lost from 20 to 30 thousand people killed and wounded, said Ian Stubbs, senior military adviser to the British delegation to the OSCE. "These are huge human losses with a total advance of about 25 km ... For every kilometer traveled, more than 800 Russian servicemen are killed or wounded, most of whom are Wagner militants," he stressed.

Stubbs added that Russia appears to be running out of missiles, and the issue of providing Russian troops with equipment is also acute. In addition, he noted that the Russian military command demonstrates a striking lack of competence and squanders strategic resources for the sake of small tactical victories.

Link


Britain
UK Treasury chief scraps nearly all government tax cut plans
2022-10-18


The U.K.'s new Treasury chief ripped up the government's economic plan on Monday, dramatically reversing most of the tax cuts and spending plans that Prime Minister Liz Truss announced less than a month ago and raising new questions about how long the beleaguered British leader can stay in office.

In a televised address, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said he was scrapping "almost all" of Truss' tax cuts, along with her flagship energy policy and her promise — repeated just last week — that there will be no public spending cuts.

While the reversal of policy calmed financial markets and helped restore the government's economic credibility, it further undermined the prime minister's rapidly crumbling authority and fueled calls for her to step down before her despairing Conservative Party forces her out.

Truss' front man said the prime minister and Hunt had jointly agreed on the changes. But Hunt told Conservative politicians that Truss "backed him to the hilt in making difficult decisions" — suggesting he has a free hand to make policy.

Scrapping Truss' plan to reduce the basic rate of income tax by 1 percentage point, Hunt said "it is a deeply held Conservative value — a value that I share — that people should keep more of the money that they earn."

"But at a time when markets are rightly demanding commitments to sustainable public finances, it is not right to borrow to fund this tax cut."

Such major policy announcements are normally made first in the House of Commons. However,
the man who has no enemies isn't anybody and has never done anything...
 after an agreement with the speaker of the House, it was left to Hunt — rather than Truss — to deliver the calming message to the markets, weeks earlier than he had planned.

Hunt was appointed Friday after Truss fired his predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng, who spent less than six weeks in the Treasury job. Truss and Kwarteng jointly came up with a Sept. 23 announcement of 45 billion pounds ($50 billion) in unfunded tax cuts that spooked financial markets, sent the pound to record lows and forced the Bank of England to take emergency action.

Over the weekend, Hunt has been dismantling that economic plan. The government had already ditched parts of its tax-cutting plan and announced it would make a medium-term fiscal statement on Oct. 31.

On Monday he went further. He scaled back a cap on energy prices designed to help households pay their bills. It will now be reviewed in April rather than lasting two years — sweeping away one of Truss' signature plans.

Hunt's moves are aimed at restoring the government's credibility for sound fiscal policy after Truss and Kwarteng rushed out a plan for tax cuts without detailing how they would pay for them.

He spent the weekend in crisis talks with Truss, and also met with Bank of England Gov. Andrew Bailey and the head of the government's Debt Management Office.

The unfunded tax cuts fueled investor concerns about unsustainable levels of government borrowing, which pushed up government borrowing costs, raised home mortgage costs and sent the pound plummeting to an all-time low against the dollar. The Bank of England was forced to intervene to protect pension funds, which were squeezed by volatility in the bond market.

It remains to be seen whether the message will hold the line among investors.

"Fiscal credibility is hard won but easily lost. Today's announcements won't be enough by themselves to plug the gap in the government's fiscal plans,'' said Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank. "Nor will they be enough to undo the damage caused by the debacle of the last few weeks, but they are big, welcome, clear steps in the right direction.''

The early response from the markets was positive.

The pound rose more than 1% to above $1.13 in London. That pushed the U.K. currency back above where it was trading on Sept. 22, the day before Kwarteng announced the tax cuts.

Yields on 10-year government bonds, an indicator of government borrowing costs, fell to 3.947% from 4.327% on Friday. It was 3.495% on Sept. 22. Bond yields tend to rise as the risk of a borrower defaulting increases and fall as that risk declines.

The financial fiasco has turned Truss into a lame-duck prime minister, and Conservative politicians are agonizing about whether to try to oust her. She took office just six weeks ago after winning a party election to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson
...pro-Brexit British prime minister, succeeding no-Brexit Theresa May. BoJo is noted as much for his sparkling personality and his hair as for his Conservative policies....
, who was forced out in July after serial ethics scandals ensnared his administration.

"A new fiscal broom is sweeping away the mess of the old mini-budget but it looks increasingly likely that it will also eventually wipe out the brief prime ministerial career of Liz Truss,'' said Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.

The Conservative Party still commands a large majority in Parliament, and — in theory — has two years until a national election must be held. Polls suggest an election would be a wipeout for the Tories, with the Labor Party winning a big majority.

Many Conservatives believe their only hope is to replace Truss — if the party can agree on a replacement.

The prime minister's front man, Max Blain, denied Truss was leader in name only and that Hunt was now in the driver's seat.

"The prime minister and the chancellor discussed these measures and agreed them over the weekend," he said.

Blain said Truss "has acknowledged we went too far, too fast with the mini-budget" — though in a statement, Downing Street pinned the blame for its U-turns on a worsening global economic picture rather than any reaction to the measures.
Related:
Liz Truss: 2022-10-12 Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: October 11th, 2022
Liz Truss: 2022-10-11 Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: October 10th, 2022
Liz Truss: 2022-10-09 Shamima Begum: And then there was one
Related:
Jeremy Hunt: 2021-12-04 Bill Gates warns of smallpox terror attacks and urges leaders to use ‘germ games' to prepare
Jeremy Hunt: 2019-07-26 British navy to escort UK-flagged ships in Gulf strait
Jeremy Hunt: 2019-07-25 'The Time Has Come To Act': BoJo Takes The Helm As U.K. Prime Minister
Link



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